of hunters and scouts
by drawingdisaster
Summary: Shauna Vayne is the Night Hunter, a brooding creature born from tragedy and darkness hunting down her fellow vampire brethren in the name of the king. A dark hero painted black by her own sins and regrets, living in solitude... Until she is forced to interact with one of her fellow champions, that is. Rated M for violence. Edit- I am currently editing the first chapters.
1. Chapter 1

Quinn finds Vayne wounded, collapsed on the ground, her clothes torn and dirty, sweat dripping down her face. Vayne screeches trying to scare her, but Quinn ignores her, the scout aproaches her, kneeling beside the injured vampire, a small smirk plastered on her face. Quinn examines the vampire. Her pale skin, her curvy body, the crimson orbs staring at her with hate and contempt. The huntress is trembling, her body unable to produce heat due to the blood loss.

She lifts the vampire off the ground and carries her back to her room. It's late, the corridors are empty and eerie silent. Quinn unlocks the door and places the marksman on the bed, Vayne hisses and Valor examines them curiously. Quinn proceeds to strip the Hunter and clean her wounds, but Vayne looks angry, furious even. Marksmen are a competitive role, they are always at war with each other even with their own countrymen.

Quinn slips inside the covers and pulls Vayne closer, the vampire tries to scratch her but she is far too weak to be a real threat. The scout just smiles, her hands roaming the huntress' body, caressing her breasts and stomach. She leans in on top of her, secuting Vayne by the neck before biting her ear teasingly. Vayne is still trembling violently, her whole body covered in sweat.

Quinn sighs and grabs a knife from the kitchen, she cuts the tip of her finger and presses against the vampire's lips. The Hunter hisses, before biting her, her fangs sinking in Quinn's hand and the scout cries out in pain. Quinn shudders, overwhelmed by the sensation of Vayne licking and nibbling at her open wound. She let's the vampire feast for a while, not enough to recover her strength of course, but enough to make the pain go away and she then pulls her hand away, amber eyes observing the breathless huntress. The trembling has stopped for now, so she turns the vampire around and pulls her closer. Vayne still looks hostile, but her struggling has ceased and Quinn's gaze flickers from the blood painting the woman's lower lip to the scarlet eyes watching her every move. She wraps her arms around the Hunter's waist, one of her palms resting possessively on Vayne's hip. The Hunter's eyes narrow and Quinn smiles and kisses her on the lips.

Vayne doesn't bite her, she knows that she will need the scout's warmth if she wants to survive the night. Quinn is mocking her, nibbling gently at her collarbone and neck. She is careful though, her touch deliberately avoiding the hunter's wounds. She licks the vampire's earlobe.

"You are mine."

Quinn's hands pull her even closer and now Vayne's chest is pressed against her own. The hunter's mind is foggy, the human's warmth and her exhaustion are slowly settling in lulling her to sleep. Quinn notices her eyelids closing, oddly enough she doesn't try to keep her awake, neither does she go any farther as Vayne starts realxing in her arms. Her touch is strangely affectionate and her expression softens as she leans in to kiss Vayne on the forehead. The vampire mumbles a word in her sleep and Quinn smiles softly, her hands begining to stroke her captive's hair.

"Mate."


	2. Chapter 2

The vampire was laying on the ground, her body spread among the leaves, panting in pain. She needed blood! No matter how much she hated it, no matter how much it disgusted her, her whole body was starving for a few drops of the crimson nectar.

"Come on Quinny, you are making the snails look fast!"

Voices, young ones at that. Vayne felt her fangs expanding inside her mouth, her vision became blurry for a second. She stayed still, desperately hoping that the kids will just pass her by.

'Go away. Please, go away'

She heard footsteps approaching her and she could already smell the humans. Her fangs were now poking at her lower lip.

"Quinny, there is someone over there!"

The vampire swore. She could hear the boy's blood, honey filled rivers running across the child's entire body, its heart pumping inside his ribcage sending the sweet nectar around, almost like a chef stirring rich soup in a pot. Shauna gulped, she had almost started salivating.

"..away "

Her words were a silent mumble, her tongue numb from the intoxicating smell reaching her nostrils. The boy moved closer, kneeling by her side, he started shaking her shoulder.

"Miss, are you ok, miss?"

Her black heart clenched in agony, her vision was gradually turning red.

"ge .. t .. a ... wa .. y"

Another pair of footsteps joined them, a young girl came into view, Vayne could only see her eyes, innocent golden orbs shinning like amber. The boy turned to face her, pointing its neck to the vampire and that's when Vayne lost it.

She hissed in excitement, grabbing the poor boy by the back f its head only to slam it into the ground violently, her fangs sinking into the fountain of his neck before he could even realize what was happening. The boy screamed, flailing its tiny hands around her but Shauna ignored him, her eyes burning with delight as she kept drinking. The crimson fluid slipping inside her mouth and esophagus, caressing her tongue and warming her stomach. The boy finally stopped struggling, its hollow gaze turning downwards and Vayne separated herself from the boy, licking her lips.

She froze, her gaze following the toddler's sobs, there was a small trembling figure on the ground crying loudly. A young girl, staring at her accusingly, her horror filed eyes staring right back at her crimson pools of hunger.

"Ca.. Caleb."

The choked sob woke Vayne from her trance, her eyes moved downwards, spotting the boy's cold body before darting back to her hands and the blood painting her fingers. Her eyes widened.

"No... no ..no ..no"

She felt tears rolling down her cheeks, the blood in her stomach rising to her mouth and she threw up. The boy's blood now drowning the leaves and local flora in crimson undertones, her body shaking violently mirroring the little girl's.

"I.. I am sorry, I ... I didn't .. mean to."

She tries to reach the child, but the girl cries out in fear and crawls away, her scared amber eye's locked on Vayne's scarlet ones. The vampire gets up and runs away, vanishing into the night leaving the girl alone in the woods hugging her brother's corpse.

Vayne opened her eyes, panting like mad, her heartbeat speeding up with every shaky breath that managed to penetrate the vault that used to be her lungs. She gasps, her blood suddenly turning into ice the moment she comes face to face with the amused scout and Quinn smiles venomously, her amber eyes locked on the vampire's shocked rubies.

"So Shauna, did you sleep well?"


	3. Chapter 3

Vayne eyed the scout, her shocked gaze locked on the woman's amber orbs. Quinn smirks, she wraps her hands around the huntress as if sensing that she is about to run away. She kisses Vayne on the lips, but the vampire doesn't even notice it.

"it's you isn't it? The girl from the forest."

Quinn nods, her smile never reaching her eyes.

"You should have noticed it sooner, now you belong to me."

Vayne looks at her confused, the scout waits for a few moments before sighing in disappointment.

"You don't even know about your own nature."

Her smile suddenly returns.

"Do you know what happens when a vampire feasts on the verge of dying and the victim survives?"

Vayne shakes her head, she has studied her curse for a long time, desperately searching for a cure, a glint of shimmering light in the darkness. The information was scarce at best for there was no place for black magic and creatures of the night in Demacia where the heretics' books were burned on sight and the creatures of the night were executed on the spot. The only reason her head was still attached on her shoulders was because she had agreed to hunt down her kind, a mission she had accepted willingly.

Her travels on the shadow isles bared more fruits, there she found soulless corpses waking among the undead. Sinister, twisted forms of unlife that gave an entire new meaning to the word abomination. The powerful grimoires of the witches filled her with despair, for there was no cure, no magical salve or antidote capable of reversing her condition. She was going to spend the rest of her life as a bloodsucking monster. Her need for knowledge ended that day. It faded, like her fake hopes and dreams, buried under a pile of battered corpses and twitching skeletons.

"The hunter and the prey become linked."

Quinn's voice brought her back to reality.

"Connected in heart and spirit alike. The vampire is chained in a life or servitude, damned to serve its would be pray for the rest of its days. it can't stay away, it can't harm its master, it cannot even drink another person's blood without getting sick and feeble."

Vayne's eyes widened, her hand shoots out to grab Quinn's neck. She holds her there for a moment, her pale, slender fingers wrapped around the scout's soft neck, her hand ready to end her life at a moments notice. Quinn takes on an innocent guise.

"Are you going to steal another child from my mother?"

Vayne falters, her hand growing weak and she pauses until she suddenly feels a stab in the chest and she collapses, landing breathlessly inside the scout's waiting arms. She stays there, patiently waiting in complete silence while she tries to recover, small torrents of pain travelling through her body like liquid sunlight sparkling in her veins. Quinn mockingly leans in to kiss the hunter on the forehead.

"I told you, you can't harm your master, little pet."

Her voice is calm and even like she is speaking to a naughty child as she brings her hand in front of the Night Hunter's eyes. There is a black symbol imprinted on the scout's arm, right on top of the bite mark where Vayne's fangs has punctured her skin. it looks like a banner of sorts, an inky small bat with spread wings, it's lower half turning into thin curved lines that distantly resembled a heart.

"How far to actually being dead do you think you came to last night? Hm?"

Her lips gently touch the Night Hunter's ear, giving Vayne a little peck.

"You. Are. Mine."

The vampire hisses.


	4. Chapter 4

Vayne dashes out of the room, heart pumping in her ears, running silently across the hallway, Sticking to the shadows out of habit.

The corridor is almost empty. Lux spots her and greets her with a smile. She runs past Xin Zhao that raises an eyebrow. Galio ignores her.

She heads to her door and unlocks it, slamming the door shut behind her, making sure that no one is going to disturb her.

Vayne pauses to take a breath, her eyes darting across the room only to stop upon landing on the refrigerator, an expensive hextech machine imported all the way from Piltover. She approaches the handle and opens the door, her eyes staring intently at the glimmering ice, and the blood bags buried underneath it. She grabs one and opens it, staining the floor with crimson, she raises the bag to her lips and drinks a mouthful, spilling more human juice on the tiles.

Vayne waits. One, two, three seconds. Nothing happens, she takes another sip and then another one, painting her insides red. Her eyes burn like embers. She puts the bag back in the fridge and sighs in relief. She is ok, everything is ok, Quinn was bluffing.

And then it hits her. The pain almost makes her scream, she grabs the side of the table to avoid collapsing on the floor, her knuckles turning white from the effort to steady herself. Her insides are on fire, her heart is a scorched mess, she is pretty sure her guts are going to explode.

Vayne buries her fangs on her lips, she can almost feel the life slipping out of her body. The room is spinning, her legs are shaking, the light in her eyes dims. She is dying.

And suddenly it is over. The pain fades, the knot in her chest dissolves, She can finally hear her own frantic breathing and more importantly breathe again. Her limbs are numb and heavy, but she can move them and her fangs have retreated back in her mouth. Everything is normal.

She absentmindedly touches the wound on her lips and gazes at her fingers. She is still bleeding.


	5. Chapter 5

Quinn was eating in the mess hall, her fork toying with some kind of pie while her feathery companion scooped from the ceiling to steal food from random champions. She smiled, Valor knew that he could eat from her plate if he so desired but he preferred annoying the other champions and especially the Noxians. The Freljordians smiled kindly at his antics, Katarina shot her a death glare, Kog Maw started chasing after him, acid oozing from his mouth. Malzahar sighed and gave him his own food to stop the voidling from melting the whole room.

"He is quite the troublemaker."

Lux sat down next to her, smiling in amusement. The room seemed to brighten in her presence. Quinn returned her smile.

"That he is."

She took a bite from her pie, closing her eyes to savor the taste. The food in the Institute was getting better every day.

"Oh, no."

The scout followed Lux's gaze. Valor had landed on a table, having a staring contest with Lee sin, the blind monk. At least it looked like they were having one, Quinn could almost feel the Ionian's empty gaze behind the red cloth obscuring his eyes. They stayed still for a few moments seizing each other until Valor blinked.

"You lose."

The monk's kind voice reached the ranger's ears. Valor cawed in annoyance, he pecked at a frie from Lee's plate before he grudgingly started devouring it.

"Better luck next time."

He pet the eagle that squawked in delight and rubbed its head against his hand, the Ionian turned around and smiled at her direction and Quinn shivered. Was that man truly blind?

" I saw Vayne in the town. She looked sick."

Lux's voice brought her out of her reverie, the scout's eyes darted to the glove covering the vampire's seal before returning back to the Lady of Luminosity. She shrugged her shoulders trying to feign indifference.

"Really? Do vampires even get sick in the first place?"

Lux nodded, Vayne's condition was a public secret, no one really denied it or made a fuss about it but it was pretty obvious considering her daily absence from the mess hall and there were far stranger creatures in the Institute and most of them were a lot more bizarre and exotic than a run of the mill vampire fighting with a crossbow. A living tree, a walking scarecrow and a moving suit of armor just to name a few.

"They do actually. It is mainly caused by drinking a corpse's blood or refraining from feeding for a prolonged duration, they can even die in the first case. Consuming one's own blood is also quite painful from what I have heard. Most vampires die instantly from the shock."

Quinn burned the information in her brain, smirking inwardly, she barely managed to keep a straight face.

"Wow, I had no idea."

Lux nodded, her head turning when she spotted her brother entering the hall.

"I am sorry, I have to go."

Quinn smiled politely.

" It's ok, I enjoyed talking to you. See you later."

Lux beamed, she smiled widely before lifting her tray.

"Have a nice day."

And then she was gone. Quinn sat in her seat oblivious to the world around her. Annie was playing with Lulu, Diana was glaring at Leona, The nine tailed fox was teasing Riven., the exiled soldier tried to ignore her, her face resembling a tomato as the seductress sat on the Noxian's lap and started eating from her plate.

So Vayne was in the Town huh? Maybe she should pay her a visit. Quinn smirked, she stood up and left heading for the gates. Meanwhile Valor landed in front of Anivia and puffed up his chest, the Cryophroenix merely spared him a glance before continuing her meal.


	6. Chapter 6

The town was a nickname for the area surrounding the Institute of war. What had started as a few inns and shops to accommodate potential champions and ambassadors had soon transformed into a full-fledged city overflowing with restaurants, artisans and market stalls competing for the attention of the wealthy individuals that gathered in the Institute. It was hardly a surprise really. What better way to promote your items than having a champion wear them? The allure of owning the same boots or jewelry as the kings and queens of Valoran was quite enticing.

Quinn paced among the stalls, her eyes scanning the crowd for a familiar woman dressed in black. The shop owners waved at her eager to get her patronage, a group of summoners were arguing loudly about their favorite champions, men and women of all ages wandered around aimlessly checking the stalls. Quinn sighted, there was no sign of Shauna Vayne, the vampire seemed to dislike crowds and large gatherings in the first place so the reason she had come here was beyond her.

She decided to head to the outskirts where the town was still under construction and the people were fewer. The terrain slowly changed as the stalls gave way to houses and the buildings became smaller and humbler. Quinn's steps led her to a building site, she eyed the structure curiously as she felt as if something was drawing her in. That was weird, it looked like an ordinary building to her and yes there were holes instead of windows and the building was taller than the average house but that was it.

The scout entered the site and headed for the stairs, she might be able to spot Vayne from the rooftop. Quinn smiled, the hunter was probably starving by now, her mind consumed by her unending thirst for blood. A thirst that only her blood could sate, but the scout had no intention of stopping her torment, Vayne deserved every second of agony that she experienced for what she did to her brother.

She reached the roof and was about to approach the railing when her boot stumbled in something. She frowned, her eyes moving downwards only to widen in shock at the sight of the body. It was a woman, so pale and peaceful it appeared as if she was sleeping, except that she wasn't, there were wounds on her neck, the small round wounds that haunted Quinn's dreams since her childhood. She gulped, her trembling hand reaching for the crossbow in her belt. there was another figure on the rooftop, she realized. An old man in ragged clothing crying on his knees while clenching the railing.

"Sir?"

Quinn approached him cautiously her crossbow aimed at his crouched form, there were bloodstains on his clothes. The man ignored her, continuing to sob loudly.

"Are you alright, sir?"

The man trembled in fear, his hands shielding his face from the horror in front of his eyes.

"She is here!"

Quinn jumped in surprise her eyes scanning the rooftops around her, her crossbow following her gaze.

"Who are you talking about?"

"Vampire!"

The man pointed at the door and Quinn took a step back while aiming at the entrance. She gasped, because there, standing on the doorstep wearing her usual black outfit was none other than Shauna Vayne. The vampire noble was staring at her, her ruby eyes hidden behind a pair of scarlet shades.

"You monster."

Quinn felt her blood boil, the image of her murdered brother flashing in front her eyes again and again. Vayne had finally lost it, she had reverted back to her days of carnage, ending innocent lives and stealing loved ones from their families. Quinn scowled, she should have put her down when she had the chance, now the blood of that woman was on her hands.

The scout screamed, her weapon pointing at the hunter's general direction before she pulled the trigger, sending her bolt to bury itself on the vampire's shoulder. Vayne didn't even blink, she eyed the projectile now covered in her own blood before staring back at Quinn expectantly. She tilted her head, her face an emotionless mask.

"Are you finished?"

Quinn gritted her teeth, she fired again, her bolt glazing the hunter's cheek and she swore, both hands clenching the crossbow trying to sturdy the weapon. It was no use, she was trembling too much and there was no way she could stop shaking, not when her brother's murderer was right in front of her. Vayne took a step at her direction and Quinn fired again, the dart missing the vampire by a long shot, she took a step back. Vayne was now less than two meters away from her, Quinn positioned herself between the vampire and her next victim, hellbent on protecting the old man. She took a deep breath and aimed her crossbow straight at the vampire's ridiculously calm face.

She heard the sound before she managed to pull the trigger. A low threatening hiss coming from behind her, Quinn felt dread clenching her heart as Her eyes slowly moved to glance sideways. The old man had risen from the ground and he was staring right at her, fury obvious in his eyes, Quinn barely noticed the blood dripping from his beard and the fangs poking out of his mouth.

She was in the air the next moment, launched to the sky raising slowly. She blinked in confusion and then she started falling, her body suddenly diving to the concrete three storeys down. She tried to scream, her hands wrapping around her head desperately trying to shield herself from the fall but It was no use, she was falling too fast and her toes were pointing at the sky, the fall would surely kill her. Quinn saw the ground rushing up to meet her and she closed her eyes.

Thump!


	7. Chapter 7

Quinn took a small breath and then another one . She expected to be in pain , her head cracked open and her limbs unresponsive and heavy , but they weren't . She took another breath , she could feel warmth and a steady heartbeat pumping at her cheek . She opened her eyes , only to find a dark shape blocking her vision . She moved a bit . she could feel her movements restrained by some kind of cage . She licked her lips , someone moaned . The cage seemed to unlock , the pressure on her back disappeared . Her gaze followed the hands slowly unwrapping behind her , only to fall lifeless on the ground . Hands ? she realised that she was on top of someone . Her eyes searched for her savior's face only to be met with a pair of ruby irises .

" Vayne ? "

The vampire stayed silent , there was blood leaking out from the corner of her mouth and the top of her head along with the wounds at her face and shoulder . Quinn's bolt was still attached to her shoulder . Quinn looked lost for a second her amber eyes darting between the vampire's face and injuries .

" Why ? "

Vayne had obviously used her body to shield her from the fall . Quinn wondered if she acted that way to protect her or her precious blood .

" Get off me "

Quinn glanced surprised at the vampire only then noticing that she was sitting on the hunter's stomach . She stood up , the vampire also rose without a word . She glanced at her shades that were laying broken on the pavement before scowling at the sun . Quinn observed the vampire's actions . She eyed the rooftop they had fallen from . There was no sign of the old man . No one could come unscathed for a fall like that , not even Vayne . She turned around only to witness Vayne limping away , her back turned towards the sun . She bit her lip .

000000000

Quinn stared at the door bearing the hunter's name and title . Her hand moved to touch the doorknob only to retreat a moment later without making contact with the surface . The corridors were empty , she had taken her time to make sure that Vayne was present . The vampire was a nocturnal being after all , the only time that she could be reached was after nightfall . Quinn's hand moved again , she knocked at the door lost in her thoughts . She wasn't certain about her intentions but she needed to see her . She didn't know if it was to gloat at the starving beast or to make sure that she was alive . But the door seemed to call out to her , nudging gently at the corners of her mind .

No one answered . Quinn knocked again , the door opened with a creak . She took a peek inside before she stepped in . The room was covered in darkness , the only light present was coming out of a strange machine that whirred and clanked illuminating the tiles . She approached it , the white light illuminating bloodstains and shredded blood packs on the floor . Ice cubes and water leaking from the interior . She eyed the blood packs for a second before moving to the bedroom . The door was open .

" Vayne ? "

her voice sounded uncertain and lost , she raised her hands in the air .

" I am unarmed "

She entered the bedroom , it was bigger than her own . Cross-bow bolts and blood packs littered the floor , books and trinkets were pilling on the desk . The bed's sheets were black like the curtains on the windows . She heard a low hiss coming from the darkness , something moved near the desk . The scout narrowed her eyes trying to penetrate the veil of darkness . She took a deep breath and stepped forward , hands still in the air .

" I don't want to fight you , I am here to talk . "

She heard the door closing behind her , she could feel the vampire approaching . What was it that she had come here to talk again ? she felt Vayne creeping behind her . She tried to distract herself by observing the view out of the window .

The scenery was identical to the one that she could see from her room , a big garden filled with trees . She could hear the vampire's breath inching closer and closer with every heartbeat .

It was a beautiful garden alright filled with trees and grass and benches . Vayne was right behind her now , she could feel her gaze in the back of her head . It was unnerving to say the least .

The vampire was now breathing on her neck , looming over her shoulder , Quinn forced herself to keep staring out of the window . At the blooming flowers , the swaying trees , the insects buzzing around the flower's petals , everything illuminated by the light of the full moon . She felt her blood running cold .

" Damn "

00000

writer's note : Dear reviewer could you please explain to me what confused you ? were there any words missing and incomplete sentences or is it about my writing that is all over the place and the characters mood spans ?

For the first reviewer : Dear reviewer I spend a lot of time putting the capital letters back on the first chapters , but nothing changed after I pressed save . I will refrain from deleting and re-uploading them , because a lot of content gets erased every time the format changes and I am tired of fixing it and making sure that everything is ok , before it gets deleted again .


	8. Chapter 8

She grabs the scout from behind pulling her closer , her fangs seek the soft spot of her neck . Puncturing the skin with little effort . She feels the scout struggling , trying to escape . It excites her , she drinks a mouthful . The blood lands on her stomach warming her insides . Her whole body is tingling with delight . Her prey is sobbing , terrified , trembling in terror . The taste reminds her of her sin her eyes land on the scout . She releases her , only to grab her again , the moon shinning in her eyes . She takes a deep breath . She hisses , she is confused about her actions . She sits down and places Quinn on her lap . She hugs her , moving her gently , caressing her as if she was a child. she doesn't want to drink her blood anymore . She doesn't want to see her cry .


	9. Chapter 9

It is morning , sunlight is flooding the room , dust particles falling down slowly . She doesn't stop caressing her , her hands stroking her back gently . Quinn pretends to be asleep . It is easier that way . She is supposed to hate her . Despise her . She isn't supposed to nap in her arms and enjoy her presence . Why was Vayne so gentle in the first place ? Was it guilt ? an attempt to gain her forgiveness ? was she trying to bribe her into letting her feast on her own accord ? or was she just playing with her , waiting for her to let her guard down and then kill her slowly . She doubted those were the reasons . She saw her eyes that night . Bloody moons gazing into her eyes in shock dripping with guilt . That wasn't the expression of a monster . Vayne moved her hand to the twin marks on her neck , stroking them gently . She had bandaged the wound . The bleeding had stopped .

" I will carry you to your room "

She lifted her carefully on her arms and opened the door . Quinn rested her head on her shoulder , wrapping her arms around the vampire's neck . She didn't want to leave just yet . Vayne glanced at her , her expression carefully blank before she stepped into the corridor . She headed for the scout's room , red irises silencing her fellow champions , making them move out of her way . She stopped at the door , unsure of how to proceed . She could break the door with little effort but that would only make Quinn's life harder and disrupt her sleep . She glanced at Quinn only to be confronted with her amber orbs and flushed face .

" Can you unlock the door ? "

She tried to act politely and caring but she didn't really know much about the subject . She had lost her parents when she was young and she had spent most of her days training and plotting her revenge under the cold stares or butlers and instructors that thought of her as a monster . Their disgusted glares were all the courtesy she knew . The duty of slaying beasts in exchange for the wretched thing she called life was all the kindness she had received . Her tone sounded fake even to her , maybe she was bitter . She was jealous of all these people who could go on and live their lives without having to shed blood and dine in the shadows . She hated the way they could enjoy a meal along with their family and loved ones and the way the sun hurt her eyes . She was even jealous of Quinn , the girl that she had traumatized . How pathetic was that ?

" I don't have the key "

Vayne closed her eyes , she couldn't just leave her here . People would start asking questions and she didn't want to stay in the light for longer than necessary . She felt tired all of a sudden . She was about to turn around and carry the scout back to her room when Valor landed on her shoulder . She gazed at the bird . He was looking rather menacingly at her , his talons digging into her fresh , his beak holding a small key .

" thanks Val "

The scout struggled to pet her partner's head before the avian leaned to help her . She took the key and unlocked the door . Vayne stepped in squeezing her eyes shut in the process . She blinked a few times before opening them again . Quinn's room was certainly brighter than her own . She lowered the scout on the bed carefully . Valor flew away and landed on the bed stand his irritated gaze burrowing into Vayne . She turned to leave , Quinn's hand held her in place . Her fingers quietly slipping in her palm .

" stay "

Vayne turned her face slightly , crimson orb gazing at her coldly , before she pulled her hand out of her grasp .

" The night of the full moon is special , I can't harm you now . "

She walked away feeling the scout's disappointed gaze on her back . Valor eyed his partner confused .


	10. Chapter 10

Day 1

Vayne fights on the fields of justice , her crossbow rains death upon her enemies . She is determined to stop drinking Quinn's blood . She has caused the scout enough pain for a few lifetimes .

Day 2

She continues hunting down witches and beast's , slaying them with the efficiency of a predator . It is raining a lot . Winter has come .

Day 3

Vayne notices a small drop on her endurance and regeneration . She knew that a mouthful of blood wasn't enough to keep her going but the change is alarming never the less . She throws away the blood packs , their content can only make her worse .

Day 4

She is seeing Quinn in her dreams . The scout appears under her covers naked and alluring . She kisses her and then offers her blood . The vampire is lost in a torrent of lust and crimson nectar only to wake up sweaty and aroused . Cold showers become a habit . She likes to think that the dreams are a product of her lack of blood and her guilty consciousness . She isn't desiring Quinn , only her blood . Even the mark on the scout's hand sounds like a good idea . There is no way she has fallen for her victim . There is no way Quinn would forgive her when even she can't forgive herself . There is no point in wishing for something out of her reach .

Day 7

Her recent matches all end in failures . Summoners and champions alike whisper about the new limitations the Institute has placed upon her . She is avoiding Quinn , her dreams get more and more lewd . There are times where she has to relieve herself in the shower to stop the aching in her core . Her healing has ceased . Her clashes with creatures of the night liter her body with scars .

Day 8

She is feverish , she stumbles on Darius and falls on the floor . The Noxian spits in disgust , his friends are laughing . Vayne get's up and heads to her room . She opens the refrigerator hoping to find a few stains of blood to fill the growing pit in her stomach , even temporary . She finds nothing . She sleeps next to the fireplace to stay warm .

Day 9

She shouldn't have gone hunting today , the vampires got her good . Her left hand is bloody and unresponsive . The gash in her chest is dripping blood . She presses her back against the wall and slips on the floor . She stares at the moon out of the window holding her wound until she loses consciousness . Quinn doesn't come on her dreams tonight . She is truly alone .

Day 10

She is delirious , she is mumbling on the floor . Apologising . Asking for forgiveness . She is trembling inside her blankets , her hands clenching the fabric with all her might . Her vision is blurry , her chest barely moves sustaining her with the lack of oxygen she can inhale . Her wounds are still bleeding staining her clothes . Even humans would have stopped bleeding at this point . Vayne tries to lick her blood from the floor , it tastes horrible , worse than the blood packs she has thrown away . The taste stucks in her mouth . Her eyes close , her consciousness fades .

Another dream , she has learned how to tell them apart by now . Her dreams are warm , mute and gentle filed with feathery embraces and violent kisses . There is no hunger in her dreams , neither does pain and well , there is Quinn . She wraps her body in soft fabrics , her amber eyes beaming with compassion and affection . She lights the fireplace and nurses her like an old lover , patching her wounds and shielding her eyes from the sunlight . She faints again .

Quinn is still here , a dream inside a dream . she leans in to plant a kiss on her lips , the crimson nectar spills forth . Vayne can taste copper . Quinn licks the fluid from her lips and kisses her again . They part , the scout glances at her and smirks playfully . Vayne smiles , her face is flushed , she is crying . This is the best dream of her life .

0000

It takes her a while to realise that she is awake and even more to register Quinn breathing slowly inches from her face . Her first reaction is to blink , her second is an attempt to flee . Her hands are handcuffed on the frame of the bed . her left hand is bandaged . She glances at the angel resting at her side and decides to sleep . She is aroused , her fangs are poking out reacting to her excitement . It is not often that she can share her bed with a goddess . Quinn pulls her closer hugging her like a giant teddy bear and Vayne presses her body against the scout's biting her lips in frustration . That's all she can do with her hands tied on the frame and her mind dull and intoxicated by her scent .


	11. Chapter 11

A nudge , a kiss , she is pulling her closer stroking her face gently . Vayne doesn't know what Quinn is seeing in her . She is a monster , a rabid beast , an abomination that should be put down immediately . She keeps her eyes closed . Her fangs poking out of her mouth and her spasms every time she caughts a whiff of the scout's scent betrays her . That only seems to make Quinn's touch more affectionate . It is like she is tending to a scared animal and in a way she does .

" How are you feeling ? "

She sounds concerned . Vayne opens her eyes , crimson slits staring into amber marbles . She doesn't reply , her head is spinning . She is too weak , She can barely move . Quinn brings her wrist to the vampire's lips . Her arms are scared and bandaged . Her skin is soft and warm , inviting Vayne to taste its hidden treasure .

" Drink "

She is smiling , Vayne's eyes widen , she doesn't want to hurt her again , but she isn't going to admit it . She turns away .

" Its ok , I know you are hungry . "

That's an understatement , she is about to pass out at any given moment , her body is only functioning because of the scout's warmth . She can feel her senses slipping away , dragging her in the darkness . Her eyes are closing , she isn't sure if she will wake up again .

Quinn is on top of her in an instant , her hands cupping the vampires face . The handcuffs prevent Vayne from resisting . Quinn smiles . She bites her lip hard enough to draw blood and crushes it against the hunter's . Vayne tries to pull away , the scout's blood slipping into her mouth , sweet fruity drops promising ecstasy . The scout keeps her in place . Her stomach roars , her mind blurs , Quinn's taste overwhelms her . She drinks from the scout in small sips savoring the taste . Time seems to slow down for a moment . Quinn is caressing her , calming her down , the beast inside her retreats in the shadows .

Vayne stops , she is exhausted , the pain has faded . She is still trembling under Quinn gripping the handcuffs . Quinn kisses her one last time and attempts to pull away . She fails , Vayne leans forward to kiss her , there is a deep sound coming from the vampire's stomach . She is purring like a cat , her face is flushed . Her eyes are half open , she looks drunk .

" Hold me "

Her breathing is ragged , her voice faint , she is pressing her body against the scout's . Her eyes are clouded and murky almost a deep brown . Almost human , definitely not a monster's .

" Please "

Quinn nods , she wraps her arms around the shaken vampire . She seems fragile as if she is made of glass and she is going to shatter at any moment . She notes how she is trying to approach her , Vayne moans on her shoulder .

" Tighter "

Quinn complies , Vayne is shaking violently , she is trying to rub herself against her . She moans again , her lips searching for the scout's . Her eyes are closed , sweat is coating her skin . She is panting , Vayne rests her head on the scout's shoulder . She waits for a few minutes until her heartbeat returns to normal .

" I know I don't deserve this . I am sorry "

She tries to savor the moment , burn it on her mind . Her ragged breathing , Quinn's gentle touch , the scout's soft body laying beside her . The coppery taste on her mouth . The way Quinn's warmth sips into her body . She shallows .

" You weren't yourself . "

Her voice is barely a whisper , Vayne can feel Quinn's inner turmoil behind her gentle words . She is lying , trying to convince herself , give herself a reason to overlook her crimes . Vayne takes a deep breath , she can almost feel Quinn's arms unwrapping , her hands shaping into fist .

" You are wrong . "

The caressing stops , Quinn freezes , her fingertips still on Vayne's spine . She lowers her gaze to face her .

" What do you mean ? "

Vayne has to stop herself from averting her eyes , she is perfectly still , her crimson irises locked on the scout's amber ones . She deserves to know .

" I didn't kill your brother in the forest in a violent fit of madness . I killed him the following day in the graveyard having full control of my actions . "

Quinn is silent for a while , her gaze lost and glazed . The seconds drag to minutes , Vayne is getting worried . The scout unlocks her handcuffs and gets up without a word .

" My bite turned him . He had crawled out of his coffin and was about to return home , following his own scent and then he would murder you . Bucher your parents and feast in their blood . I stopped him , I gave him some of my blood to make his sanity return and then I explained to him , what he had become and how he was forced to live his life fighting his own thirst for blood , slowly descending to madness . He cried that night , he sobbed in my arms for hours but not once did he blame me . Because he knew . He was hearing it too now . The voice in the back of his head whispering , urging him to dine on his own loved ones and bath in their blood . He didn't want to do it ... He asked me ... He begged me to end his life . And so I did ... I sang to him a lullaby and then snapped his neck in his sleep and buried him back in his grave so you could visit him again . "

" I almost forgave you "

Her voice is sad and broken , her body is shaking .

" For a moment I thought that you were . . . We could be .. "

The words fade , she turns to look at her , her usually gentle gaze , now cold and vengeful .

" why did you tell me ? you could have kept mocking me behind my back and I never would have guessed it. "

" No ! I never deceived you , I love you ! "

Quinn laughs at her , wiping an invisible tear from her eye . Her heart sinks in her chest like a boulder in the depths of despair ,her fingers brass against Quinn's arm only to be slapped away .

" love ? "

She leans forward , her face only inches away from the vampire's .

" what does a monster know about love ? "

She expected this but still , she never thought it would hurt so much . She hangs her head , her black bangs effectively hiding her tears . She is alone again , only this time her heart belongs to another .

" So kill me . "

She faces the scout her eyes and cheeks shining from shed tears

" if I am a monster incapable of feeling anything , why did you save me in the first place ? "

She grabs Quinn's crossbow from the night stand and presses the bolt's tip on her throat , she then grips the scout's hand and places it on the trigger .

" There you are , here is your chance to slay this mindless beast you chained to yourself . "

Quinn grits her teeth

"You think I am bluffing ? you think I will let you walk away after killing my brother , not once but twice !? "

" No "

Vayne shakes her head , more tears rolling down her cheeks , her eyes are the epitome of loneliness and sadness , but she looks determined .

" There is no future for me , even if you let me go what I am supposed to do ? Attack you from the shadows to steal a few drops of blood ? wait to die from starvation ? I don't want to hurt you again and I already tried the second option . I am already dead , now or in a week it makes no difference , but "

She slowly presses Quinn's finger to the trigger , the string in the back of the crossbow starts stretching , building strength to launch the projectile . Quinn tries to pull her hand away but Vayne easily keeps it in place .

" If dying by your hand will make you happy , if a wretched creature like me can help you get revenge and let your brother rest in peace . If seeing me bleeding on your feet will help your heart heal . "

The string screeches , the bolt locks in position .

" Shouldn't I just shut up and start bleeding ? "

One second , she tries to release her hand .

" Take care "

" Click "

0000

Writer's note : I watched some dramas and it seems it has affected me . One of my ideas was for them to be together and happy for a while and then Evelyn that watched invisible Vayne's judgement , comes out and reveals the secret out of malice ,but I am not patient enough to use that and I have no idea where the story is going so I used the " she deserves to know " card because Vayne feels guilty and loves Quinn . The other idea was for Vayne to serve Quinn in order to redeem herself and Quinn abuses her and the guards and servants beat her up , but Quinn doesn't care , so Vayne rips out her fangs and gives them to her and continues serving Quinn but a vampires fangs are connected to their hearts so her lifespan shrinks and then :

a) Vayne dies a horrible death slowly weakening until Quinn does something kind and catches her out of reflex or calls her name with she hasn't used for years and Vayne cries from happiness even if Quinn didn't mean to help her and dies . Or b)

Quinn realises her mistake and cries out to her and Vayne smiles and says that her fangs were always Quinn's because they are connected to her heart and her heart belongs to Quinn or something equally sappy . You can insert a scene where Quinn goes mad from grief and roams the street wearing Vayne's fangs if you think it is not tragic enough make a city guard mistake her for a real vampire and shoot her .

The point is that I will not use these plots but plot a) almost came to life . It was a really close call , I had to attend a boring 4 hours long lesson about how to write an essay until my mind started to clear and I was like : wait why am I writing a tragedy ? So stay away from dramas , they poison your mind and every scene becomes a time shift to a tragic future and dry last words . If those plots inspired you to write a fanfiction feel free to use them in any way you like , I would like to see my weird thoughts turn into heart wrenching stories and I will probably learn a lot about how a story is being written along the way .


	12. Chapter 12

" drip "

" drip "

Her lifeblood was slipping away , rolling down her neck and coating the crossbow and the scout's fingers only to land on the floor the next moment creating crimson stars on the carpet . Tasty little puddles gracing the room with their fragrance . Vayne felt her fangs aching in her mouth ,she licked her lips . She had never craved for her own blood before , why was this time so different ? Was it an instinct ? A defensive mechanism installed in her brain , urging her to consume any and all blood in the vicinity to survive ? It was sick , even for her . The scent rose to her nostrils and she actually left a little whimper . She could almost feel the crimson honey inside her mouth , covering her tongue , rolling down her esophagus , overwhelming her mind with its intoxicating taste .

The though of the crimson nectar caressing her insides made her lose her balance , she took a step back expecting to collapse on the ground a bloody mess , crimson rivers escaping her windpipe . She didn't . The absence of pain just registered her mind .

"drip"

She stared down at the puddles , their surfaces still rippling , red raindrops falling down slowly .

"drip"

Vayne tried to keep her gaze on the floor , at the scout's boots , the stained carpet , the rich liquid that haunted her dreams and governed her life . The liquid that connected her to Quinn .

"drip"

Quinn ! She forced herself to raise her head , her eyes darting to the scout . Her pale face , her pained eyes , her hand clenching the crossbow bolt poking out of her palm dripping crimson nectar . Quinn had used her own hand to stop the bolt from killing her .

" Why ? "

She took the scout's hands on her own , her voice trembling slightly , the crossbow fell on the floor with a thud . Vayne tried to be gentle , she wasnt' exactly sure how to act , but she supposed it was something like how Quinn had given her blood to ease her pain and let her sleep in her arms to stay warm . She had enjoyed both . If she was to court her as a vampire she would riddle her with bites and let her drink from her neck , but she somehow doubted that Quinn would appreciate that . She settled for caressing her hands instead , slowly stroking her skin trying to show her how much she ment for her.

" slap "

Vayne turned her face with the blow to spare the scout from further injuries . She kept her gaze on the floor and her head hanged low . Her thumb still circling soothingly on the scout's bloody hand .

" Let's go to the infirmary . Can you stand ? "

Quinn glared at her .

" Yes "

Vayne nodded , she licked her lips nervously .

" Maybe we should hurry . "

The scout took a deep breath to calm down .

" Because ? "

" Human's tend to bleed for hours . "

She changed her stance slightly as if she was preparing to grab Quinn and dash out of the room at any moment .

" Maybe you are dying . "

Quinn stared at her for a moment , her shock giving way to pity .

"How long has it been since you spent time with humans ? "

Vayne suddenly looked lost , her eyes glazed , her body stiffened for just a moment before she managed to snap out of it . Her face carefully blank and emotionless .

"A few days ago I laned with Sona . "

" Matches don't count . "

"Almost a month ago a new summoner asked me for directions . "

"And before that ? "

"I talked with Lucian once , we discussed the difference between blessed metals and light infused ammunition and how they react with the cursed blood of the vampires . It was quite interesting . "

Quinn noted the excitement in the undertone of her voice , the way Vayne's eyes beamed when she recalled the conversation , the corners of her lips turning upwards . She felt something click inside her head .

"No one will talk to you ."

The vampire flinched .

"You are lonely aren't you ? "

Vayne stayed silent .

0000

The trip to the infirmary was a short one , Vayne had almost dragged the scout on the floor in her hurry to reach the building before Quinn died . The vampire had offered to carry her more than once and Quinn was starting to get annoyed . They had just reached the entrance when Vayne abruptly stopped causing Quinn to almost crash on her back .

" Ok we are here . Get inside and ask for a surgeon . "

Quinn ignored her comment , she raised an eyebrow .

"Aren't you coming with me ? "

The vampire sighted .

" I can't . The contract I have with the king clearly states that I am forbidden from approaching hospitals , healers and medical facilities of any kind . If a Demacian spotted me here I would be executed for violating the king's orders . "

Quinn tilted her head .

"And what happens when you are injured and need medical assistance ? "

Vayne licked her lips .

"I either patch myself up or die . Now can you please go and find a doctor ? You are running out of time . "

Quinn was about to reply , but stopped when she saw the desperation in Vayne's eyes . She nodded .

"Ok , wait for me in my room . Don't even think about running away . I will find you and when I do I will lock you up inside Renekton's cage . "

Vayne nodded stiffly and Quinn headed for the front desk smiling faintly . She was about to ask the nurse in the reception for help when a hand grabbed her arm and pulled her inside a corridor . Quinn followed the nurse inside an examination room until she was pushed on a bed . She waited until the Kinkou assassin gathered everything she needed to treat her, fishing bandages and alcohol from various tables and cabinets around the room .

"What happened to your hand ?"

" I was changing the cord of my crossbow and forgot to put the safety on . "

" Pretty clumsy for an elite scout "

Quinn stayed silent , Akali grabbed her hand and placed her fingers on the bolt's back .

" I am going to break it . "

Quinn nodded .

"I saw Vayne outside , did she shoot you ? "

She snapped the dart's back and pulled it out in the blink of an eye . Quinn pulled her hand away crying in pain . She waited for a few moments taking deep breaths before she extended it again .

"No . I shot myself . It was an accident "

The ninja eyed her for a moment , before lowering her gaze back to the injury .

" I see . There is no permanent damage but refrain from using it for a couple of days . I will give you a potion . "

She started cleaning the wound with a piece of cloth and alcohol making the scout grit her teeth before she wrapped the wound with a sterilised gauze . She walked away to a cabinet and pulled a few bottles out .

"Are you left-handed ? "

"No "

"I will inform the summoners that you are out of the roster . "

"Thank you "

Akali nodded , she placed an empty container on the table and started diluting the healing potion . The Institute Of War was undeniably a prestigious organisation hellbent in ending all conflicts and bringing world peace to Valoran . They were also unbelievable cheapskates offering medical stuff positions to champions like Shen , Akali and Soraka in order to cut down their expenses and constantly reducing the infirmary's budget . If a champion died one of these days there would be hell to pay .

She handed Quinn the potion .

"Drink a bit everyday after the meal until the wound closes completely . "

She paused for a moment .

"I hope I don't have to tell you that rum is not categorised as food ."

Quinn eyed her curiously . Akali pinched the bridge of her nose in annoyance .

" Gangplank . Don't ask . "

Quinn smiled .

"Ok , thank you "

She headed for the door .

" Quinn "

The scout turned around .

" Yes ? "

"If Vayne is threatening you , I can help you ."

Quinn smiled politely

"She isn't threatening me . "

She felt Akali's gaze on her back as she left .


	13. Chapter 13

Vayne kept pacing inside the scout's room , her nerves a tattered mess . She needed to see Quinn , she needed to know that she was fine . She had left the scout bleeding in the infirmary almost an hour ago and she hadn't heard from her since then . What could she possibly be doing ?

She sighed , her transformation at a young age had left her with little knowledge about the limitations of the human body . She could have bled to death for all she knew . Crying in the darkness ,abandoned and alone , devoid of the warmth of human contact like ... like herself .

She could still remember the day her life ended in the manor . Her trembling frame , the servants corpses , her parents dead eyes staring at her from the shadows . The way she had crawled on the floor holding her ripped neck trying to reach her loved ones , desperate to hold their hands one last time . The sudden hunger , the fit of madness , her fangs sinking in their faces mutilating their bodies . The bitter taste , the sickening sounds , her flesh sticking back together , the tears that followed . The look on her youthful face when she saw her reflexion in the mirror covered in her parents blood . The realisation that she was a monster .

Vayne punched the wall , her fist creating a small crater on the previously smooth surface . She closed her eyes letting the pain wash away the images , finding shelter in the throbbing of her broken knuckles . She sighed , her eyes spotting a crimson stain on Quinn's wall . She cursed . Great , even more blood on the scout's apartment , just what she needed . She wet a towel in the kitchen and started rubbing the wall lost in thought . Quinn should be back any moment now , angry and exhausted ready to decide her fate . Her amber gaze flickering in barely concealed rage .

She sighed , she just wanted to make sure that she was ok . Punishment or not it didn't really mater as long as Quinn returned to her alive . She loved her ,she hadn't even realised it until she jumped from that building to save her . It was the logic thing to do . She was a vampire , she wouldn't die so easily , she could heal . Quinn on the other hand was a mortal , she cried , she bled , she got sick . A fall from that hight would certainly kill her .

So she jumped . She used herself as a cushion to protect her from the fall , she had broken a few bones to save her life and when the dust finally settled down and she saw her face she froze in shock . Trembling , bruised and scared she laid in her arms , flailing in panic , the scout was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen and she suddenly knew . She had fallen for Quinn . The cute little lamb had warmed its way to the beast's heart . She had lost her fangs like a tamed wolf in captivity mesmerised by the scout's kindness .

But a caged beast was still a beast and she had killed Quinn's brother . Even worse she had turned him into a monster before ending his life for the second time . Quinn was probably plotting her revenge right now, the only reason that she had stopped her from killing herself was to inflict her more pain .

But then why? Why had she saved her in the first place ? Why had she treated her wounds and allowed her to spend the night in her arms ? If she was after her life , why not just let her die from hunger and get done with it . Was it ... Could it be .. Was there any hope that Quinn also harbored feelings for her other than hate and fear inside her broken heart ? Vayne closed her eyes .

" Please don't let her see me for the monster I am . "

She already knew that it was too late for that .


	14. Chapter 14

Quinn is asleep , dreaming soundly . Reliving the days lost in the past . A time of mourning , a time of despair .

Caleb is dead , her dear brother is resting beneath a gravestone at the town's cemetery . The monster responsible for his death is still unaccounted for , lurking in the shadows , stalking her from under the bed , inside the closet . Her parents are devastated , their faces are red and swollen , they sleep next to her , crying in their sleep . The toddler sobs too , wishing , begging for her brother's return .

She prayed to the king first , then to Justice , it didn't take long for her to turn to the Noxian gods of revenge , the ones that her country despised and mocked . No one answered , she runs her hand across her brother's desk . His old painting book , his wooden soldiers , the strange coin he was so proud of . She swallows , she kneels , the tears escaping her eyes again . Her mother finds her in the morning still sobbing , clenching her brother's pillow on her chest .

000000

No one believes her , no one will even stand to hear her story , they just pat her on the head and walk away . Caleb died on a landslide , he drowned , he fell , a terrible accident they say . There is no beast hiding among the trees , no ruby eyed monster praying on the townsfolk . Her father is distant , he starts drinking , he is fighting with mommy a lot . It isn't long before he leaves them . Mommy cries .

0000

She is visiting the forest again , her eyes scanning the trees for any sign of the monster . The silence is eerie , sunlight is slipping through the branches . Everything is still , everything is silent . She is expecting to feel the beast's fangs on her neck any moment now . She doesn't . She spots a majestic bird instead perched on a log , its hard gaze inspecting her .

It is beautiful , an avian king fierce and proud , it steals her breath away . Quinn smiles , she steps closer only to notice Caleb's whistle on its beak , her eyes lighten , she approaches it slowly .

" Caleb ? "

The avian looks at her , it spreads its wings and ruffles its feathers ready to fight . Of course it is not Caleb , but the thought is pleasant and comforting . She takes another step , the bird screeches , the whistle falls on the ground . She kneels slowly and flexes her hand , leaning ever so lightly trying to grab the whistle .

It is but an old piece of metal with a hole on it , bought by their father from a street merchant . A trivial thing really , a get well gift from when Caleb was sick . Her father had put it in a small box filled with cheap candy and set it on his bed next to his pillow . Quinn could still recall her brother's excited cheers upon finding it .

A trivial thing indeed , nothing for Quinn to risk getting her eyes gouged out for . But it belonged to Caleb , it is an important treasure for her , filled with loving memories and laughter . The bird attacks , it pecks her hand with its beak .

The toddler screams in pain , her finger starts bleeding , she glances at the whistle resting between the bird's talons . She tries again and again the bird keeps pecking her .

" Give it back "

She can hear the tears in her voice , she tries to hold them back . She bites her lip and tries again , the bird pecks her . She sobs .

" Please , give it back "

Another attempt , another failure . She is crying now , her whole body is shaking , she reaches for her brother's treasure with her bloody fingers , the bird screeches , Quinn presses on .

"Please "

She looks into the birds eyes, her wet amber orbs reflected on its fierce silver ones .

"Please , it is important ."

She tries again , the bird let's her take her prize this time , she clenches the now bloody item on her chest still shaking . She remembers her brother's smile , his sparkling eyes . The way the sun fell on his hair , his wrinkled clothes stained with mud from when he was chasing frogs . Oh that crooked smile . She eyes the bird that is observing her curiously , its head tilted to the side .

"Thank you "

It seems to nod ,maybe it is just her, she closes her eyes reminiscing of the last time they played together .

They would be knights, protecting a castle made of branches and rocks . Quinn would guard the entrance and Caleb would search for enemies . He would blow his whistle if an enemy approached and they would fight him together , stop him from harming the king and protect the country .

He never got the chance to blow the whistle , the castle was stomped as the adults dragged her away from the corpse , the rug at the top is now torn and dirty . Someone had cleaned the blood .

"I will whistle and we will meet in the castle "

Quinn can't take it anymore , she raises the bloody toy to her mouth , her trembling lips touch the dirty surface and she blows and blows and blows until she is out of breath but nobody is coming .

She collapses on the log and covers her eyes , her hands hiding her wet face . She sobs her heart out . The bird jumps on the ground and rubs its head on her hand until she calms down .

"Caleb! "

She wakes up drenched in sweat , tears rolling down her cheeks . Valor lands on her bed and she hugs him . She is taking deep breaths , her face pressed on his feathers . Her eyes land on the figure standing in the shadows . She strokes Valor's head as she locks eyes with the monster . It doesn't take long for Vayne to avert her gaze , a cup of warm milk resting on her arm intended for Quinn . She doesn't dare approach her .


	15. Chapter 15

"And he spent all evening trying to get rid of the mud ! "

Quinn laughs , it's a rare treat , Vayne smiles even though she feels like crying . The mess hall is bustling with life , champions and summoners pass by giving Vayne curious looks . Quinn's laughter dies out , she tries to scoop a bit of soup with her spoon but fails miserably . Her off-hand trembling slightly spilling soup on the table . She glances at her dominant hand still covered in bandages and sighs . She should have gone for the pie .

She feels Vayne's hand on her own , the vampire takes the spoon and raises it to her mouth , sadness obvious in her gaze .

"Here "

Quinn pauses , she stares at her for a while . Vayne waits patiently , her face a mask carved in stone . Only her eyes betray her emotions , the crimson slits to her soul are restless . Quinn opens her lips reluctantly and Vayne spills the spoon's contents in her mouth . She waits for her to swallow before she repeats her actions . It is only after the plate is empty that Vayne stops . Quinn's face is slightly flushed and a little smile is tugging on the vampire's lips . Quinn is adorable !

"How often do you drink blood ? "

The question caught her off guard and she tries to come up with a reasonable answer , one that won't harm Quinn and let her heal if she agrees to help her .

"Once every three or four days , it depends on my injuries "

"And in the fifth day ? "

"I get sick and I start losing my strength "

"Is it painful ? "

"Yes"

She answers calmly , honestly , her voice doesn't waiver at all . The way she shares her secrets is quite unnerving .

"And how long until you can't even stand after this point ? "

"five days at most , it depends on a lot of things . How much blood I had , if it is a full moon , if I am injured . "

She nodes , she takes a deep breath to prepare herself .

"Why don't you come and live with me? "

Shock , awe , confusion , Vayne's mask crumbles in pieces , it melts and reforms in a million different expressions . It takes her a few moments to find her voice , a few painful , agonizing moments staring at her with her mouth open .

"What?"

"It would benefit both of us , you would drink in seclusion and I would be next to my bed in case I am about to faint ."

Vayne thinks about all the time she can spend with the scout and smiles , her eyes light up . Quinn hurries to dispel the magic .

"No biting unless I permit it "

"Of course ."

"You are sleeping on the couch . "

"Sounds reasonable ."

"I will be restraining you every night , I don't want you creeping behind my back . "

She nods , Quinn sighs disturbed by her good mood . Vayne would rub her face against her cheek if she wasn't certain that Quinn would reply violently .

"So you like fucking corpses ? "

The voice is sinister like a demon's whisper , it makes Vayne's blood boil . She turns around only to find Katarina smirking at her , her hands dangerously close to her blades .

" Because if you do , I can arrange you a meeting with Sion . "

Her smile widens , she leans in to lock eyes with Vayne , their faces inches apart .

"He can satisfy your cravings and doesn't stink like blood. "

Vayne stares at her coldly , her crimson slits staring at the redhead's majestic orbs . There she goes ruining the mood . Reminding Quinn that she is siting with a monster . But a corpse ? She isn't one , well technically she is . Her life ended once but she has a heartbeat and she is warm and there is blood flowing though her veins and . . and she is in love . She ignores her , no need to make more enemies .

"Coward"

Katarina looks disappointed , she turns to Quinn .

"So are you a bit braver ? do you have a shred of . . . Valor? "

She cracks a smile at her own joke , her eyes shining with mirth . Quinn's hands clench into fists , her lips form a thin line . Katarina smiles in her face .

"Coward "

Vayne tenses .

"I guess it is true what they say about you . You are broken."

She is in the air the next moment , crashing on the table , throwing plates and mugs around her . She rolls on the floor out of breath , her eyes blinking in confusion . Her hand shots to the burning mass that is her jaw . It is broken . She raises her gaze as two guards grab the vampire's arms . A summoner runs to her aid and starts chanting a spell . Vayne smirks at her as the guards drag her away .

"Who is broken now ? "


	16. Chapter 16

It wasn't before midnight that Vayne was finally allowed to leave the High Summoner's office. She strolls out of the room striped of her weapons and crossbow bolts only with her skintight bodysuit on her back and her signature ruby sunglasses perched on top of her head. The Night Hunter is still uncertain of the council's actions. Confiscating her crossbows could either be a precaution, a preventive measure of sorts to stop her from attacking anyone else until she has calmed down, or a carefully crafted plan against her. A dark scheme, the Summoners conveniently removing her weapons only to aid the Noxians in extracting their revenge against her after she has left the protective confines of the Summoner's office.

Katarina would be free to rough her up to her heart's content and Vayne's wounds would be gone by the time she manages to draw the Institute's attention. Prince Jarvan IV had gladly accepted the Summoners' terms, hurriedly grabbing her crossbows and ammunition, merely sparing her a mirthful glance before loudly announcing that the other Demacian champions would be retiring early for the day. Loudly enough for the Noxian representatives to hear of course, and Vayne could still remember the ravenous smile that had threatened to tear the redhead's lips before her swift departure. Jarvan had also smirked while leaving, bowing respectfully to the all-seeing, High Summoner before his departure, thinking that the Noxians will have taken care of her before dawn no doubt.

Vayne wouldn't be surprised if that was really going to be the case, but pain was nothing new to her so she still managed to smile coldly at the dirty bastard of a prince, and even bowed her head sarcastically making the pampered fool squirm in his boots uncomfortably for a second. He recovered quickly, shooting her an angry glare before storming off. Shauna actually smirked a bit at his antics, Jarvan clearly despised her and did little to hide his contempt. Her whole existence was a stain in Demacia's blight image after all, a smudge in the nation's great history. Not once but twice had Jarvan tried to persuade his father into killing her, eager to bask in the glory of slaying a bloodsucking demon.

And so there she was, tiptoeing in the shadows like a common rascal, scanning every corridor for Noxian mercenaries and Katarina's lackeys alike. She was about to take a turn and follow a corridor leading in the gardens instead of heading back to her room like any ambusher would expect, when her ears suddenly picked the sound of approaching footsteps. Vaune paused, the darkness was her domain but the thought of Noxian assassins crawling in the shadows unnerved even a creature of the night like herself. She pressed her back against the wall biding her time, hands clenching into fists in an instant.

*step

Vayne didn't wait to see her assailant's face, she pounced on her unsuspecting victim like an animal on the prowl, pinning the clumsy mercenary on the floor in the blink of an eye. She deftly wrapped one hand around the target's neck ready to land a devastating blow with the other one capable of crippling her opponent on the spot. Her hand moves backwards only to shoot forward the next moment, eager to tear skin and break bone, diving to the woman's panicked face only to stop inches above Quinn's nose. The sheer force of the blow makes the scout's messy bangs whirl wildly, both of them freeze on the spot, eyes locked in silence. Vayne's hand is still holding the scout's pulse. Quinn's arms are stretched on either side of her body, palms facing upwards, completely submitting to the vampire's dominance.

Or maybe not, Vayne feels a wave of sickness shoot through her body and she abruptly collapses on top of the ranger, heart clenched, breathing heavily, her vision a blurry mess. The spell, of course. Quinn has the decency to stop the vampire's head from colilding with the marble floor while Vayne starts falling, her body rushing to meet the hard ground beneath her. She holds the vampire's head gently until the seizure stops and Vayne stays still, filling her lungs with much needed air and Quinn's scent. She feels weak and dazed, content in just laying there for the time being, enjoying the scout's warmth.

"Why did you attack me? "

Quinn's voice is calm, cold, Vayne closes her eyes, she tries to hide how much she is enjoying this.

"I thought you were a Noxian mercenary ambushing me. You shouldn't be here by youself."

She tries to sound uncaring, angry even, anything but the love struck fool she feels like, but the corvers of her lips twitch upwards betraying her smile. Her heart flutters and Shauna smiles, her cheek resting on the scout's shoulder. Quinn seems to catch on quickly, she rushes to pushes her away and Vayne rolls to her side a bit disappointed, thankful for the darkness concealing her blush.

"You shouldn't have punched her."

Vayne is about to retort, but Quinn's expression silences her, her nocturnal eyes perceiving more than the wet amber orbs of the ranger staring into the darkness.

"She is right, I am broken."

And suddenly she is sobbing, wailing like a little child lost in the woods, Quinn rubs her palms against her eyes trying to stop the flood of tears rolling down her cheeks, biting her lips until they are bleeding. Vayne staggers, the scent of blood invading her senses the moment it hits her nostrils, her fangs extending rapidly inside her mouth. She ignores it, she kneels besides the scout and wraps her arms around her back, rubbing circles around the woman's quivering frame.

"Shh, its ok. You are definetly not broken."

She cups Quinn's cheeks and stares into her eyes, she dares to plant a light kiss on her captor's trembling lips .

"Trust me I know."

Vayne starts caressing her, her hands moving soothingly, stroking the Scout like when she was trapped inside her room the night of the full moon, scared for her life. She kisses her again, slowly this time so Quinn can push her away if she is against her advances but Quinn remains silent, pressing her body against her own, just a little bit but Vayne answers with a peck under each eye and her best hug. She tastes the ranger's tears, her hands studying the scout's trembling frame as she presses her forehead against her own, forcing Quinn to meet her gaze. It is so easy to lose herself in those amber lakes of light, take advantage of the one she loves and spend the night exploring her body making her love, but Shauna restrains herself. What the Scout really needs right now is a friend not a lover and Quinn's feelings are more important than Vayne's pent up lust and one-sided infatuation.

"I am broken. Katarina is broken. Every psychotic mass murdering asshole in charge of an army is broken. Hell even the world seems to be broken at times."

She stares into the Scout's eyes full of conviction, these beautiful caramel orbs that make her feel like there are butterflies flying inside her stomach and make her black heart skip a beat. Her lips move while she is talking, her fingers still gently brushing against the scout's back.

"But you are not. You are kind and brave and beautiful and the most amazing creature I have ever met. So please stop crying."

Quinn stares at her for a moment as if to clarify that Vayne isn't just mocking her before she lunges forward, burying her face into the vampire's shoulder. They spend the night in this position, laying sprawled on the floor as Vayne caressed her gently, holding the Scout close. Her fangs poking out of her mouth piercing her lip, tiny rubies slipping under her chin and down her throat landing on her shirt quietly. Quinn doesn't notice. Valor observes them from the shadows, his silver gaze locked on the vampires diluted orbs. They observe each other in silence, Vayne is hot and feverish but she keeps herself under control, she tries to keep her hands to herself when she can while Quinn naps on top of her, her head resting under the vampire's chin. Valor spares her a last glance before he retreats back in the shadows, it seems that Vayne has somehow managed to gain his respect.

* * *

**Writer's Note: Hello, it's been a while since I updated this story, my writing is extremely rusty and since I have crafted so many scenes and outcomes for this story I have lost interest in it. But, the incomplete tag keeps taunting me and I keep imagining new paths and plot twists even when trying to sleep, so I will end the story even if just to finally have some piece of mind. **

**I found some old chapters and I like how short (bite-sized) the chapters are so I will probably dissect them and post them and then I will keep on writing until we reach some kind of ending.**

** Or you can just imagine that everyone except from Teemo dies horribly and a new dark era begins, that's also a viable choice.**

**Ps. I edited the first five chapters so far, I have never pressed Backspace so hard before. **


	17. Chapter 17

"… Shouldn't I just shut up and start bleeding?"

*Click

Her aim is true, the crossbow bolt buries itself in the huntress' neck and Vayne's throat explodes.

"Wha?"

The vampire collapses on the floor, her knees touching the carpet first struggling to support her weight and then it's her head and her face and forehead and the rest of her body as the vampire's frame rushes to meet the floor. And Shauna tries to breathe, she wheezes and chokes, her windpipe blocked by the ranger's crossbow bolt and her own scarlet blood silencing her whimpers.

Quinn can only watch, frozen in shock, her gaze still locked on the dying woman, beautiful amber orbs wide in horror, absorbing every little detail as Shauna's blood keeps staining the carpet, the sanguine puddle beneath her body slowly turning into an endless red sea. And somehow, even after all her extensive blood loss and extreme pain Vayne is still alive and breathing, her red, bloodstained lips are moving, trying to form words, words lost in the crimson rivers escaping her throat. Her eyes are staring right back at the stunned scout, ruby colored orbs open wide in pain, fear and sadness.

"That didn't happen! I stopped her before she managed to kill herself."

Quinn watches from a distance as a woman bearing her face and garbed in her typical ranger outfit kneels down next to the dyeing vampire, glaring at her in contempt. Vayne's face is even paler than usual, her features twisted in agony, eyes brimming with pain and tears as her fingers move weakly as if to grasp the false scout's hand, searching for a shred of comfort in her last moments. But her doppelganger will have none of it, 'the ranger' smiles and steps back, eyeing her coldly.

"No, that's wrong! It didn't happen like this! This has to be a nightmare."

Vayne whimpers, red tears rolling down her cheeks, her hands retreat back to the carpet, her head drops in resignation. She is dead.

"No!"

00000

The scenery changes and Quinn finds herself in an old cemetery facing a hole in the ground. The hole is already big enough to contain the average human, but the gravedigger keep digging feverishly as if he's about to burry some kind of monstrosity, a sick abomination that should never have existed in the first place.

The man abruptly stops and throws his shovel away as he approaches the lifeless body. The corpse is tacked in a white sheet, ragged and dirtied, filled with numerous tiny holes. The man tears it apart without a second though revealing the deceased's body and Quinn moves uncomfortably. It is Vayne, bloody and pale and motionless, her once vibrant red eyes are now white and glassy, crossbow bolt still attached on her pierced neck.

The gravedigger pauses for a second and then smiles, he grabs Shauna's hand and removes the ring from her finger. The signet ring is a beautiful thing, made of gold and small rubies wrapped around a shiny red stone bearing the huntress' insignia, the work of a master craftsman. A seal of royalty bestowed upon Vayne's late family by the king of Demacia, Jarvan Lightshield the Third himself. The gravedigger smiles toothily, his eyes darting among the silent gravestones as he stealthily shoves the ring inside his back pocket.

"Hey, put that back!"

The Scout is furious, she tries to grab the thieving scum, but her hand just phrases through him as if she isn't even there, the man doesn't even look at her.

The preacher is next, he opens the huntress' mouth and grabs one of her fangs with a pair of tweezers.

"Stop it!"

The old preacher ignores her, he proceeds to rips out her fangs and then kicks the body inside the hole, the gravedigger spits on his muddy palms, grabs his shovel and starts covering the hole's opening.

"Hey Preacher, what about a gravestone? I didn't see any of them lying down nearby."

"She doesn't need one, nobody is going to visit her anyway, her whole family's dead."

"Any friends?"

"Are you kidding me? You saw those damn fangs, this thing was a goddamn monster. No, no one is gonna be missing her, of that I can assure you. "

"Tsk, that's one sad existence if I do say so myself, I knew the kid before she turned into this.. Thing you know."

"Yeah? How was she?"

"Sweetest little girl I've ever met, she used to help the homeless, drag her parents to charities, hell, she even tried to donate her family ring once, in order to feed a poor bastard."

"What happened?"

"Ever heard of the _red manor night_?"

"Who hasn't? Shit, you don't mean to tell me that she was the actual Night Hunter, silver crossbow bolts and all?"

"Yep, that's the one. Whole house butchered in a single night, servants, maids, family, even the horses were found dead in the stables, hanged by their own intestines. She was the only survivor, that little one. They say that even the ceiling was painted red with blood and gore."

"Shit, what happened next?"

" Things got quiet for a while, Shauna inherited the families' fortune and lived in the manor along with a few servants, it was only weeks later that the rumors started spreading, rumors about the sleepless child that preferred to stay in the shadows avoiding the sunlight and its ruby-red eyes that followed you from the darkness."

"That must have been disturbing I assume, so who was brave enough to expose the little monster?"

"That would be Prince Jarvan IV- _grace may smile upon him-_ the prince somehow got whiff of the rumors and headed to the Red Manor in order to confront her. No one knows what happened during his visit. Some say that the Prince is as cunning as he is virtuous and uncovered the demon's plans all by himself, some others say that the servants slipped something on the girl's tea. A few royal guards that were present at the time seem to imply that it was Vayne's madness that broke the ruse. Bottom line is, the heiress attacked the Prince and so the secret was out. The demon-child was confined in the manor's basement until the king took pity on her and offered her a deal. Hunt don't her kin in exchange for her freedom or rot inside her cell for all eternity."

"And?"

"What do you think, you drunkard? The wench accepted.

000000

The scenery changes again, a grand dining hall obscured by darkness, beautiful stained-glass windows covered with black silk curtains, a lone girl is sitting at the head of the table eyeing famous delicacies with despair. Sour pork, vegetables covered in honey, pastries and cakes and exotic meats, their alluring scents invading the child's nostrils, making her mouth water. She is hungry, so oh so hungry, she licks her lips and stabs a piece of meat with her fork before raising it to her lips with trebling hand eager to taste it, she takes a small bite and then she spits it out, the marinated pork feels like rotten eggs inside her mouth, its crispy texture reminding her of old charcoal submerged in moldy dust.

She bites a boiled vegetable, soft colorful flesh drifting inside her mouth, singing to her taste buds and she collapses on the floor in a fit of coughing. Shauna scowls, spitting out the last bits of her food as she reaches for a piece of bread. It tastes horrible and she finally doubles over and throws up, she can feel the servants' stares bearing into her trembling back, but she stays on the floor for a while listening to her heartbeat pumping in her eardrums until someone approaches her.

He is a servant of course, no outsider has stepped foot inside the Red Manor after her parents funeral. The man leaves a steaming bowl of soup in front of her curled form and smiles politely.

"How about some soup, eh young mistress? It is warm and tasty and good for an upset stomach"

Little Vayne nods, her small hands capping the bowl uncertainly, she brings her lips on the bowl's edge and takes a small sip, she waits for the feeling of repulsion holding her breath in anticipation but the seconds drag by and everything is still fine, so Shauna takes another mouthful.

The soup is delicious, thick and fragrant and spicy like she enjoys it, she will have to thank the cook later. The vampire smiles and Quinn sighs in relief, she smirks a bit as she watches young Vayne gobbling down the soup as if it is the last food on earth. The snickering of the servants breaks her out of her reverie and Quinn gazes at their smirking faces and reeling grins and her heart sinks inside her chest as her gaze returns back to the small vampire devouring its food. Quinn dashes at Vayne's side in an instant, her eyes drawn to the remains of the broth. The contents of the bowl smell horribly, the soup is a muddy red, the stench alone makes the scout's stomach turn, Quinn's gaze returns to the maids rolling on the floor, laughing loudly and her eyes widen.

"Stop eating that!"

She tries to slap the bowl away from the child and her hand just passes through it, but it doesn't matter anymore. The bowl is now empty and Vayne pauses as she glances at the cackling servants raising an eyebrow in question.

"See? I told you she was going to like it."

A young man dressed like a cook kneels next to her, weird Shauna doesn't recognize him and she is pretty sure that she has memorized the faces of all the servants living in the manor by now.

"Would the young Lady like another serving?"

"Yes, please."

Vayne smiles with the innocence of a child and offers her bowl expectantly and Quinn's heart wrenches inside her chest as the Head chef returns the child's grin, his big beady eyes observing her with pretend kindness masking the malice brewing in his heart.

"You heard her, boys."

The servants make way for the cooks, two giant men carrying a huge pot, Quinn can already feel the bile rising in her throat, she can already guess one of the broth's ingredients, she glares at the chefs pleadingly.

"Stop, please, stop. She is just a kid right now, please don't steal away her innocence."

Quinn tries to block their advance, they pass through her just like before and the scout can only watch as the two giants stop in front of the smiling ruby-eyed child. The men pause for a moment as if weighting their choice but they soon lower the pot and remove the lid so Vayne can take a peek inside.

"DON'T LOOK!"

But she does look anyway and the little girl's smile freezes on her face. The men let her look at it for a full minute and burn the image in her mind's eye before they finally have the decency to cover the gruesome sight. The odor of blood, the black guts, the still thrashing rats dying inside the pot, the head cook takes her bowl and fills it to the brim with muddy blood and rat guts and then places it on the floor next to the stunned heiress, he then grabs one of the rats and pulls it out.

Vayne remains silent, teary eyes unintentionally following the chef's movements as the man raises the rodent until it looms over the bowl and slits its throat. Putrid blood explodes at Shauna's face, dripping inside her bowl and the chef gives the rat a small squeeze before dumping it back in the pot, the chef then turns around and leaves, his booming laughter echoing inside the manor, accompanied by cheers and mocking shouts and everybody is laughing. The maids, the chefs, the servants everyone laughs and laughs and laughs for what feels like hours pointing at the speechless child that is sitting on the cold marble floor staring at them with glazed red eyes while they keep cackling like madmen, their faces twisted in mirth, roaring like demons.

"Be sure to finish your food, ok princess?"

The servants leave her, dragging their feet, sparring a few glances at the monster in the dining room, a young maid smiles at her from behind her shoulder and then silence, the servants are gone.

Quinn closes her eyes and takes a deep breath before opening them again, her gaze darting between the pot and the motionless child's stiff back. She doesn't want to look at Vayne right now, but the young vampire turns around anyway and Quinn gasps. The girl is still there, but her soul has already left, the child's face is frozen, a happy smile still plastered on her lips, tears rolling down her cheeks slowly, eyes opened wide ready to pop out of their sockets clouded with madness, hate and despair.

Vayne stands up after a while, her childish smile fading never to appear again, her next movements are stiff, calculated, completely wrong for a child her age. The sight of the little girl's face is what makes Quinn finally break and the scout rashes to hug the little vampire that haunted her dreams for so many years, even though she knows it is pointless. Shauna's expression is cold, emotionless, her crimson gaze is empty and uncaring. She isn't a child anymore, she is the Night Hunter.

Jarvan IV enters the room shortly afterwards, accompanied by the Head chef and a few of the other new servants, now dressed in shiny ceremonial armor painted in the gold and blue colors of the royal guards. The scene dissolves as the child is led away from the manor restrained by silver manacles and the white-eyed specter hidden behind the scout shakes its head and starts constructing the next nightmare.

* * *

**Note: Here, have some of Vayne's past and a few nightmares. I liked this chapter too much to butcher it.**


	18. Chapter 18

Quinn whimpered hands pressed against her ears, eyes shut tightly, desperately trying to ignore the girl's screams. It didn't make any difference, she could still hear clearly the little vampire's sobs, the distinctive sound of metal colliding against flesh filling the basement every time the golden gantlet came down raining blow after blow against Shauna's bruised body. The scout swallowed loudly forcing the bile back in her stomach, eyes still carefully closed. This wasn't the first beat down of Shauna she was forced to witness, the revolving images seemed to center around her nemesis' past, shedding light into the darkest days of the Night Hunter's life.

The scout waited patiently wincing every time Vayne begged for mercy or at least she tried to, the vampire was in too much pain to form coherent sentences at this point, her words transforming into pitiful cries of pain and breathless sobs the moment they left the huntress' bloodstained lips.

Shauna's torment continued for almost an hour until the ironclad madman tired out and had to take a break, the barrage of blows suddenly stopped and Shauna let out a small sound of fear as the prince kicked her one last time before he made his way out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Quinn heard the sound of the key being turned inside the lock and Shauna breathed in relief, or tried to, her body was too damaged to produce the appropriate sound at the moment so the sound came out as a wet croak.

The young heiress stayed still, face pressed against the cold floor of the basement waiting for her bones to heal, trying to muffle her sobs in the meantime. Too much noise and Jarvan would come back to silence her, she had learned that lesson a long time ago. The scout kept her eyes closed as seconds turned to minutes, she had seen the scene repeate itself enough times to know what was going to happen next. The child would wait patiently, sobbing weakly until its body would finally be restored enough for her to crawl back into her bed and the dirty blood packs lying underneath the ragged pillow, Vayne would then proceed to tear the packaging and devour the bag's contents in order to lessen her pain before passing out. Shauna would be allowed to sleep for a few precious hours before the torture continued.

Quinn had almost counted to four hundred by the time the telltale sound of shredding and choking reached her ears informing her that Vayne had just finished her meal, she opened her eyes the moment Shauna's head hit the mattress. The vampire pressed its back against the wall of the basement, tired crimson eyes staring at her prison's door, before finally curling up into a ball and losing consciousness. The scout approached her, opting to sit on the floor next to the slumbering creature, her amber eyes observing Shauna's shallow breathing, her gaze darting across the bruises and cuts covering the child's small body.

Nobody deserved that treatment, not even Vayne, the person responsible for her brother's murder. Quinn could still remember that fateful night in the woods, her sibling's frantic screams, the monster's scarlet gaze staring into her soul observing her from the shadows, the sight of her brother's corpse slumping into the forest's floor. Her horror turning into confusion when the beast's bloodied features twist in gut-wrenching agony mirroring her own the moment she laid eyes on the boy's motionless body.

No, Vayne wasn't the sadistic coldblooded murderer she had first though she would be, Quinn knew that even before their reunion, she had seen Shauna's terrified expression that night, the soul consuming sparks of quilt flaring into her eyes the instant their gazes met. Caleb's death was unintentional, a mistake, an accident, Quinn had realized that even before she started plotting her revenge, but Caleb's soul cried out for justice and Vayne would have to pay for her crimes if only so her brother's spirit could finally rest.

The ranger hadn't even though of what she was going to do with the vampire after she had chained her into servitude, she had spent hours upon hours racking her brains, searching for a punishment suitable enough for her childhood tormentor, but none seemed to be appropriate. She could hit Vayne, torture her, starve her, beat her into submission, talk to her about Caleb and their childish dreams- the ones the vampire had so cruelly shattered- until Vayne crumbled under the weight of her own consciousness and begged her on her hands and knees for mercy. Begging for the scout to end her pathetic her life. And then Quinn would laugh and slap her in the face, she would then walk away leaving Shauna scarred and broken as she had done to her so many years ago. Or at least that had been the plan until Shauna had announced her infatuation with her and Quinn had found an even better way for her to torment her.

Real or not Vayne's tender feelings and insecurities were another weapon on the ranger's arsenal and the vampire was too sincere to lie anyway. Shauna hadn't made any attempts to break her shackles and escape her punishment after all. The scout respected that. A small sniffle drew her attention and Quinn glanced downwards only to realize that little Shauna had started crying in her sleep. The scout frowned and her hands turned into fists, her nails digging into her palms the moment the door burst open and a guard walked in startling the child awake.

"Oh come on! Just give her a break!"

The man ignored her and Quinn helplessly averted her gaze when Shauna started screaming. No one deserved that kind of torment and certainly not an innocent child. Quinn tried convincing herself that all those demented visions were just nightmares but sadly the itching on the contract mark etched upon her arm told her otherwise, the scout was reliving Shauna's most painful memories. So the ranger kept watching unable to do otherwise as the events of Shauna's life kept unfolding one after the other, heart wrenching scenes flickering randomly in front of her eyes as if someone pounded the Hunter's head into oblivion and then threw the remnants of her memories into a hurricane and Quinn had no choice but to keep watching trapped in an eternal nightmare.

The scenery changed again and Quinn witnessed another day from the huntress's hellish _training_, then a bittersweet memory of Vayne playing with her parents in the park, followed shortly by a huge hallway covered in blood, small footsteps moving towards the sound of her parents' screams and a child's cries of despair. The scene flickered and Quinn witnessed Vayne's desperate escape attempt as she run away fleeing the manor, the frantic chase leading her into the woods until she collapsed on the forest floor too weak and injured to take another step forward.

Quinn closed her eyes when she saw Caleb rushing to help the fallen woman, but it was of little importance, the sound of her brother's screams made her relive the traumatic event in all its tragic glory. And curiously the moment her eyes closed, the actors of the little drama paused to stare at her, sinister smiles creeping on their faces, their irises turning a milky white. And all the while Nocturne kept observing her from the shadows.

Xxxxxx

Vayne scowled in annoyance, blinking groggily, her back sore and stiff from spending the night on the floor. Shauna felt the scout moving on top of her, mumbling something in her sleep and suddenly the vampire's scowl melted, the faintest hints of a smile making their way to the huntress' lips. Quinn had fallen asleep on top of her, the vampire blinked a few more time, shaking the sleep away from her eyelids, her gaze darting across the deserted hallway searching for threats, the first rays of sunlight already touching the marble floor.

She didn't spot any threats, no Noxians, no mercenaries, no dagger wielding redheads, nothing out of the ordinary. It seemed that the Noxians were preoccupied at the moment or decided to leave her alone and ambush her some other time when she least expected it. Vayne sighed in relief, rising carefully, gently tacking the sleeping woman inside her arms before lifting her up effortlessly due to her vampiric strength. Cold ruby eyes bearing into the scout's vulnerable form as if burning the image in her mind, a faint glimmer of pink slipping under the hunter's pale cheeks before Vayne shakes her head dismissively.

She grumbles unnerved by the amount of joy sinking through her ribcage for just being in the presence of the scout before she sighs again this time in defeat, this woman was going to be the end of her. Quinn moved in her sleep, her head now resting against the huntress shoulder and Shauna grumbles silently, casually making her way towards the ranger's room. Their trip was an uneventful one only accompanied by the distant echoes of footsteps coming from far away hallways and the scout's calm breath unintentionally caressing the vampire's neck, Vayne might have blushed a little bit. The vampire had almost reached her room when the sight of golden locks dancing in front of her makes her pause, her eyes narrowing suspiciously eyeing the Lady of Luminosity with silent contempt.

Shauna has always had a sore spot for bluebloods and Counts even if she herself had been considered as one at some point during her life. Lux blinks in surprise, her cheerful facade of innocence faltering for just a moment, baby blue eyes darting between the brooding vampire and her friend's unconscious form. Her eyes narrow, her body stiffens, the hand holding her baton moves swiftly bringing the magic wand closer to the fallen noble, gaze still locked on the scout's sleeping form.

There is a pregnant pause as both women seize each other, ready to spring into action as blight blue orbs meet cold crimson ones. Lux is the first one to move, she clenches her teeth and steps forward, baton rising only to stop at the level of the huntress' eyes, prismatic crystal pointed towards Vayne's face, her usually innocent features turning dark and serious after spotting the old bite marks littering the unconscious scout's neck.

"Release her."

The mage's voice is a low whisper, her words uttered like a command even if the huntress can perceive a small glint of fear hidden into the depths of the woman's eyes, Vayne growls lowly, her fangs extending inside her mouth. She doesn't really want to fight the mage, Lux seemed like a good person even if Shauna wasn't one for bubbly laughter and cheerfulness and also the woman was just trying to defend her friend from what she perceived as a threat. Shauna would really like avoiding a confrontation with someone that cared so deeply for her scout. The huntress sighs, opting to remain motionless, her hands still occupied by her not-quite-mate's weight as Vayne willing herself to relax, her fangs retreating back in her mouth.

"This is not what it looks like, I am just carrying Quinn back to her room because she fell asleep in the hallway."

Lux frowned

"And I am guessing that those bite marks just magically appeared on her neck."

Vayne remained silent and Lux's scowl deepened, the magic baton in her hand started glowing dangerously and Shauna shifted slightly readying herself for the unavoidable confrontation. The intensity of the baton's light increased tenfold and Lux pulled her hand back ready to bind the vampire's feet with concentrated light beams, an angry caw and a blur of ruffled feathers was all the warning they got as Valor descended from the ceiling landing between the two agitated noblewomen. The Demacian eagle screeched loudly, pinning both of them with a scorching glare and Lux stopped incantation, making her spell dissipate harmlessly.

"Valor?"

The eagle paused, moving its head as if nodding before abruptly jumping, beating its wings a couple of times in order to gain enough altitude to perch itself on the huntress' shoulder as if she was the scout. Vayne eyed the bird cautiously and Lux blinked, her gaze traveling between the unconscious scout, Quinn's feathery companion and back to the accused vampire only to return to the small bite marks decorating the ranger's neck. Valor was more than a simple pet, loyal as he was clever the eagle was an invaluable companion that Quinn trusted with her life.

The eagle would never allow any harm to come to its partner as long as it was alive, so if Valor defended the usually antisocial huntress with the same fervor he reserved for his loving owner/partner then that could only mean one thing. Vayne was telling her the truth and also the vampire was closer to the kind soft-spoken scout than Lux would have guessed… Much closer.

The implication of the wounds real identity hit the light mage with the force of a blacksmith's hammer and Lux gaped in surprise. Quinn and Vayne were dating! Lux heard a small gasp and her eyes moved searching for the sound's source, it didn't take her very long, her eyes wandered around the corridor only to stop upon witnessing the vampire's scarlet face. Quinn must have been dreaming of something really pleasant because she had wrapped her hands around the huntress' stiff body while rubbing her face against Shauna's previously pale and now vibrant-red cheek. Lux found the sight adorable, she lowered her baton in an instant, graciously bowing her head in apology.

"I sincerely apologize, I saw the.. hickeys on Quinn's neck and just because you were the one carrying her I assumed the worst. I didn't know that Quinn and you were together, please forgive my previous outburst."

"It is quite alright, all the signs pointed in that direction. Quinn is very fortunate to have a friend like you."

Lux blinked in surprise, had Vayne just praised her? The day was becoming weirder by the second. Lux never would have guessed that the usually distant and solitary vampire was capable of exchanging pleasantries and even small talk and it might have been the sunlight illuminating the hallway or the absence of Shauna's signature sunglasses concealing her eyes or maybe it was the tender way that she was holding her slumbering friend and the obvious blush that still colored the woman's deathly complexion, but suddenly Lux thought that Shauna might actually not be that bad of a person after all. The mage raised her head sending Shauna one of her best, one could say luminous, smiles.

"Thank you, I hope we can also become good friends in the future."

Vayne paused for a moment before also showing Lux a small reserved carve of her lips, the expression was entirely too awkward and forced to be considered a smile as if Vayne had long since forgotten how to smile properly, but Lux appreciated the attempt nevertheless.

"I think I would like that, now if you would excuse me, I have to get Quinn back to her bed."

"Of course, I am usually spending the evening reading in the library so please feel free to join me in case you desire some company."

And then Lux sidestepped and the vampire marched forward heading towards the scout's room completely ignorant of the kind azure gaze bearing into her back or Valor's strong talons giving her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. She also missed the brief instance in which Quinn's features twisted in pain before softening back into a façade of tranquility in less than a heartbeat, but Vayne felt the change and glanced down curiously.

* * *

**I have been tweaking this chapter for almost two weeks now and I am also afraid that I am turning Vayne into a serial killer. The worst part is that it actually suits her but it collides with Quinn's personality. I am trying really hard not to turn Vayne into an unstoppable beast or something... But that might actually be too fun for me to resist. I also fixed some typos on the 6th chapter.**


	19. Chapter 19

"Come on Damian, stop dragging your feet boy! This is supposed to be your first official assignment!"

The young Summoner just shrugged in response, eyes cast down as he proceeded cautiously, taking small careful steps behind his teacher, his mind still occupied with grim thoughts concerning his new duties. Samuel sighed, he stopped pacing and turned around to face his young apprentice, the old man's features softened when he spotted the crestfallen expression on the youngster's face.

"You don't have to spend too much time with the imprisoned champions, you are just supposed to meet them and witness the burden we Summoners carry. A glimpse in the terrors residing in this world we are living if you may."

Damian nodded and the old Summoner smiled softly, he turned around and motioned towards the ancient staircase leading down under the Institute's bowels, a few torches suddenly burst into life lit by a wordless incantation spilling their scarce light across the carved walls. The young man gasped in awe, his wide eyes wandering between the ancient runes and inscriptions occupying every inch of the age-old chamber.

"What exactly is all this? I can recognize some Ionian and a few Noxian runes of power and… Is that the writing of the Shuriman priests?"

The Senior Summoner nodded silently, his own gaze traveling between the symbols glittering under the torchlight as if trying to decipher the arcane mysteries residing within these very walls.

"Summoning spells, incantations, warnings to the intruders, stories of an era long gone and ancient civilizations we haven't even heard about. Most of those inscriptions were here long before the Institute was even established."

Damian blinked, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion as he took the first tentative step towards the spiraling staircase lying in front of him, the floor pulsed under his feet as if reacting to his presence.

"Summoning spells? Wait, I thought that the founders of the Institute were the first mages that ever managed to summon entities from another plane of existence."

Samuel laughed mirthlessly, he turned his head in order to send his young apprentice a sad smile and Damian stiffened almost recoiling when he saw the bitterness hidden inside the old Summoner's gaze.

"Oh no, we weren't the first ones, far from it. There once existed another peacekeeping organization like the Institute, a beacon of hope for all of humanity shinning brightly like the jewel on a king's crown."

Damian's frown deepened, he was pretty sure that he had never heard of anyone mentioning the existence of a second Institute and even more so of an ancient order of Summoners blessed with such fortitude and that was truly peculiar. The apprentice would expect the Institute to set those great men and women as exemplars for young Summoners in training and instill their virtues to their young moldable minds, but the tale of the Progenitors was forgotten instead, kept out of sight, locked inside moldy tomes and dirty inscriptions hidden away from curious eyes. Why?

Samuel sighed easily following his student's trail of though, he continued his silent descending towards the holding cells and Damian followed him without a sound, the silence was unnerving to say the least.

"There is a reason why this knowledge was hidden from the general public and even young Summoners like yourself, Damian. How would you feel if you learned that men hundreds, no thousands times more powerful and wiser than you and I were wiped out in a single night, erased by just a handful of individuals?"

The young apprentice didn't even have to think about it.

"Small, insufficient, powerless, incapable of fulfilling my duty and protect Valoran."

Samuel nodded.

"Imagine the chaos that would ensue if civilians learned that the Summoners that are supposed to keep this world in check have already failed them once and destroyed a whole continent with their magic. We aren't trying to conceal our mistakes child, we are merely trying to preserve the people's hope before it gets snuffed out by the whispers of history."

Damian nodded mutely contemplating his old teacher's words. Yes that actually made sense, no one would trust the Institute with playing peacekeeper if rumors about the Progenitor's downfall reached the public's ears, and the new Summoners would certainly lose heart upon hearing of their ancestor's fate, especially if the Progenitors managed to level a whole continent. Wait, a continent?"

"Teacher… Where was the first Institute located?"

Samuel didn't halt this time, he kept marching forward, empty gaze still lingering on the symbols carved on the walls even if his mind wandered elsewhere, his thoughts preoccupied by vengeful spirits and undead abominations.

"Have you ever heard of a place called the Blessed Isles?"

The young man shook his head before realizing that his teacher wouldn't be able to see the gesture since he was currently walking in front of him.

"No."

The Summoner sighed in response.

"Of course not, the name of the continent changed after the incident when most of the land sank under the sea, only a few islands remain nowadays. People now call them… Shadow Isles."

* * *

Xxxxxx

Vayne smiled content in just laying next to the slumbering scout and breathing her desired-mate's scent, her eyes glued on her _mistress_ innocent face. Quinn had made it clear that she was to sleep on the couch when she had agreed to live with her and Vayne would have definitely honored their agreement if it wasn't for the scout's death grip on her current attire.

Shauna had just tacked the ranger in bed, she had removed her boots and some of Qinn's clothes and she was about to crash on the couch when the scout had practically lunged at her trapping her underneath her. Shauna was confused at first, she spared a glance at her lovely captor only to realize that, no, Quinn hadn't just woken up and decided to attack her, but she was just having a nightmare instead and reached out for her big bloodsucking teddy bear.

Shauna had blushed and tried to gently push her away at first but she had instantly stopped strangling when she heard the scout calling her name, the desperation in the ranger's voice catching her off guard. Shauna had then attempted to wake up the sleeping beauty, but Quinn must have been quite exhausted because she didn't open her eyes or even stirred no matter how much Vayne shook her or whispered her name, so Shauna decided to just let her sleep and worry about the consequence later.

The vampire had wrapped her arms and placed a chaste kiss on her marked-mate's forehead before also succumbing to sleep. And somewhere under the Institute a panicked old man raced for the High Summoner's office.

* * *

**There we go, that's what I like, tiny, confusing chapters.**


	20. Chapter 20

High Summoner Reginald Ashram paused for a moment, he glanced towards the deserted hallway and then focused his gaze on the shaken figure quivering at his doorstep. He motioned for the Summoner to follow him and the man complied without a word of protest when Ashram led him inside his study. Samuel collapsed into a chair the moment his superior offered him a seat.

"Samuel, my old friend would you mind repeating that sentence? My hearing is not what it used to be."

The man sighed and took a few deep breaths before answering in a panicked whisper.

"One of the imprisoned champions has escaped."

Reginald scowled, he winced and closed his eyes as if he was physically struck.

"Which one? It can't possibly be Brand or Cho'Gath, the Institute would be in ruins by now."

Samuel took a deep breath and cleared his throat, his mouth felt completely dry.

"Nocturne."

Reginald sighed, he opened his eyes fixing his gaze on the wizened old Summoner.

"I see, were there any casualties?"

"Two guards, it looked like they were torn from the inside out."

Reginald just shook his head, he has been reminded of the gruesome sights he had witness when he had first encountered the specter.

"Yes, Nocturne always liked to toy with his victims like that, he would invade his prey's mind and feast on the negative energies generated by their deepest nightmares only to burst out of their bodies like a deadly blossom the moment their will to live was extinguished."

Samuel nodded dully, his face pale like a ghost's, he had heard the stories about the Eternal Nightmare's previous victims and there were no survivors as far as he knew. All of the specter's victims had suffered a horrible death, one way or another.

"Samuel?"

Reginald's determined voice brought the Summoner back to reality and the old man raised his eyes in order to meet the High Summoner's gaze.

"Bring the news to champions, no one is allowed to sleep until the specter is captured, doing so will just aid Nocturne in invading the sanctuary of their minds. I will inform the Council about the situation."

* * *

xxxxxx

Vayne realized that something was very wrong the moment she opened her eyes. Firstly her life was in danger, because one of her hands had slipped under Quinn's undergarments and was currently capping one of the scout's breasts, grasping it tightly. Secondly her body was practically glued to the younger woman's back and her other arm was wrapped around the scout's waist, more importantly she was panting loudly on the ranger's ear. And last but not least, it was late afternoon and even with all this unintentional harassment Quinn was still sound asleep like a baby.

Vayne took a deep breath, slowly retracting her limb from the scout's soft clutches, her cheeks were burning from embarrassment and she didn't need a mirror to know that her face was currently matching the color of her eyes. She released a small sigh of relief when her hand was finally free from the scout's tanned flesh, or was it the other way around? She was still panting and her fangs were just about to reach her chin at that point.

Vayne tried to force her canines back in her mouth, but Quinn's close proximity and the scout's pleasant scent permeating her body didn't really help her in the least bit with her little fang-boner. Shauna sighed and made a beeline for the shower, she sparred the ranger a last glance practically brimming with lust and longing before walking inside the bathroom and locking the door behind her.

xxxxxxx

* * *

"You don't look so good. Have you been getting enough sleep lately?"

The nine tailed fox inquired and Vayne let out a sigh, her gaze wandered across the mess hall observing her fellow champions absentmindedly.

"Gee, thanks Ahri."

The Ionia seductress smiled pleasantly, either not noticing or outright ignoring the sarcasm practically dripping from the vampire's words. Ahri then proceeded to throw another piece of food inside her open mouth.

"No problem. Now why is it that you smell like the Demacian ranger, I wonder?"

Shauna almost facepalmed, so that's why Warwick was giving her those smug grins, now she felt like an utter fool.

"I.. I might have used her body wash."

Ahri smiled lecherously, her snow-white tails started swaying wildly behind her.

"Oh, ho ho, so that's why you didn't seek me out during the full moon, you found a new fuck buddy!"

Vayne gritted her teeth, she slammed her hand against the oaken table making the wood splinter under her immense strength, the few champions that were present stopped eating and shot her a curious glance only to frantically turn back to their plates the moment they met the huntress' gaze.

"Don't you ever call her that again in my presence!"

Ahri nodded quickly, the smile instantly fleeing her face, her ears flattened against her head and her tails froze abruptly. She had only seen Vayne angry once, but she could still remember the calm madness swirling inside those beautiful crimson orbs and the murderous efficiency the vampire had displayed. The sight of Shauna's hollow expression as she tore vampire after vampire while only using her bare arms had set all sort of alarms off in the lupine's head. A horny moon-frenzied Shauna she could handle, a calculating, psychotic one? Not so much, unfortunately.

"I am sorry, I didn't mean to insult her."

Shauna didn't have many friends and one could argue that she had no friends, but they would be wrong. They were of course some special individuals, a band of misfits and tortured souls that had somehow managed to befriend the distant huntress even if their interactions were kept to a minimal due to their own distrustful nature. Ahri for example was one of Vayne's most trusted friends and played a really important role during the nights of the full moon, when Shauna lost herself to the beast within her and roamed the Institute searching for blood.

When all hope was lost and Shauna was about to tear some poor soul apart and feast on their precious lifeblood that's where the Ionian fox intervened, flinging charm after charm after charm at the mindless beast wearing her friend's skin until Vayne decided that ravaging the new assailant until she passed out was far more important than sinking her fangs into some poor sod's heart. The next day a scarred, exhausted vampire would wake up next to a sore but energetic fox lady and a levitating azure orb brimming with essence…

This unofficial arrangement benefited both of them even if Shauna wasn't too fond of the fox woman at first since Ahri was a lifesucking seductress and Vayne was the bane of every supernatural creature and spellcaster. But the huntress had soon warmed up to the mischievous fox lady upon realizing how much they were alike. Ahri was a beast that wanted to become a human and Vayne was an undead monstrosity trying to cling to the fragments of humanity she still possessed. Both of them strived for the same goal basically, to be normal, to be accepted and to be loved genuinely.

Vayne sighed

"It's ok, I apologize for raising my voice. It's just that I… I want her to be my mate."

The vampire lowered her eyes trying to hide her blushing face from her flirty friend. Shauna expected that the seductress would laugh at her or make another crude comment at her expense, so she was mildly surprised when the Ionia woman practically jumped over the table to hug her. Vayne blinked a few times and stayed still until Ahri finally released her, she then glanced towards her friend only to be greeted by the seductress' kind smile. Ahri wasn't just smirking at her or flashing her teeth like usual, no, the soft expression gracing the Ionian's face could rival the innocence of a young child. That was… unexpected to say the least.

"I am happy you finally found someone special, I was really starting to worry about you, you know?"

Vayne found joy in Ahri's words and tried to show her gratitude by sending the fox one of her own awkward smiles, Ahri's smile widened and suddenly Shauna remembered why she had come to the mess hall in the first place.

"Oh by the way, I intentionally came here to get something for Quinn since she missed lunch, but I can't really taste human food so.. Would you mind helping me chose the tastiest treats for the sleepyhead?"

"Of course not, dear. Come one, let's give the scout a meal she would remember forever."

The two of them were about to move to the buffet placed in the center of the room when the old Summoner's magically enchanted voice drew their attention.

"i would like to have your attention please, I have to make an announcement of outmost importance."

* * *

**Yes, inventing new words is a thing for me and I also like the word _misfits_, I even liked the tv series.**


	21. Chapter 21

Nocturne didn't always tamper with his victim's nightmares. Well, sure he choose to spice up some of the gruesome visions at times, a death here, a traumatizing ordeal there, a swarm of ravenous beasts descending on his unsuspecting prey sometimes, all of them in good fun of course, but the Eternal Nightmare didn't have to construct any new additions however in order to further torment the poor scout. Shauna's childhood memories, brutally extracted from the huntress' tortured mind during a League match were all the tools the specter needed in order to turn the softhearted scout into a lifeless husk of breathing misery. Any other detail was unnecessary.

Still, the Eternal Nightmare was a strict perfectionist and it had been so agonizing long since he had last encountered such a tantalizing prey without the shackles of the Institute limiting the spectrum of his abilities, a few more additional scenes shoved between the tragic memories wouldn't possibly hurt or change the final result for that matter.

Nocturne first started by burrowing deeper into the scout's head deftly making his way towards the innermost part of the ranger's mind, a few haphazardly mental wards placed around the girl's mind would ensure that the Summoners would leave him alone for the time being while he was busy playing with his new toy. He then started testing the ranger's mental fortitude, filtering though her memories like a rabid bloodhound following the sweet scent of fear.

One particularly vivid image drew the specter's attention, a woman with flowing raven black hair and piercing crimson eyes holding a young boy's corpse somewhere in the woods. The image seemed to be repeating itself, surfacing throughout the scout's entire life, consuming his prey's thoughts for what felt like several lifetimes only to fade back into the darkness of her memories.

It wasn't the only fractured reminiscence however, most of the memories from that time period seemed to be suppressed upon first inspection, as if the girl had repeatedly tried to lock the traumatic events in the darkest corners of her mindscape, but a bit more probing and a few more painful mental excavations later and Nocturne had finally gathered enough information to start constructing his first terrifying visions.

The Eternal Nightmare would definitely smile if he could, he leisurely stretched inside the scout's mind, griping Quinn's consciousness and savored his prey's agitated expression as he painfully jabbed his inky-black fingers into the ranger's mind injecting the first series of nightmares inside his captive's defiled mindscape.

* * *

000000

Quinn took another step back until her back was firmly pressed against the wall of the basement, the puppets followed her silently, bloody fingers stretching towards her pale face. The ranger had long since noticed the unnatural behavior of the shades surrounding her, the lecherous grins, the milky eyes, the sinister reflexions of sharp teeth and crooked smiles, warping the moment her gaze wandered elsewhere.

Quinn was puzzled at first, she had reluctantly stopped paying attention to the events unfolding before her very eyes, letting her gaze travel around the grim interior of the prison, searching for anything out of place. She had found nothing out of the ordinary of course, the events she had been witnessing were flawless memories ripped straight from the head of the Night Hunter herself. The blood escaping the vampire's lips, the agonizing cries of pain, the despair hidden inside little Shauna's eyes, the crude acts of violence taking place inside the dirty walls of the basement. Everything had been perfect, a sickening masterpiece crafted by the selective memories of Shauna, Jarvan and Quinn herself. Even psychotic monster like Jhin would feel awe after witnessing the ancient specter's handiwork.

The barrage of nightmares kept flowing endlessly as Nocturne kept molding more and more scenes and viewpoints of Shauna's personal hell, carefully forming new illusions like an artist sculpturing clay.

Time flows differently in the dreamscape where a single daydream can last several hours and a short nightmare can last an entire lifetime and Quinn was starting to lose her mind when Nocturne finally decided that sadness was not an appropriate emotion capable of satisfying his endless appetite for human torment. The specter then started nurturing a different kind of feeling, planting it deeply inside the slumbering girl's mindset. The fertilizing process was as calculated and as it was cruel, Nocturne just let the scout catch a glimpse of the shifting guises of his puppets effectively planting the first seed of terror.

The scout suddenly stiffened when abruptly Caleb's kind smile turned into a vicious snarl for just a fleeting moment and Quinn had blinked in confusion, eyeing her brother curiously when a moment later her sibling's face returned to normal. Was she imagining things?

The next one had been Charles, Quinn's second uncle. The scout was calmly observing a brief exchange between her younger self and the closest of her uncles, smiling gently as the old man instructed her in the use of the crossbow. Her younger self had finally managed to hit the farthest part of the practicing target and Charles was in the middle of congratulating her for her achievement when the man's irises had suddenly vanished, turning an eerie white. Her past self didn't seem to notice the change, but the actual scout didn't manage to hold back a scream of surprise and shivered when the kind old man turned around and smiled at her viciously, small inky shades of inconceivable darkness twirling behind his milky white eyes.

The image dissolved the moment their gazes met, but Quinn was now sure of what she had seen and her original uneasiness quickly turned into fright in just a couple of heartbeats when more and more puppets came into existence and started approaching her. And so the first seeds of terror slowly bloomed inside the young ranger's mind.

* * *

000000

Vayne dashes through the corridors dodging champions and Summoners alike, running like a woman possessed as hands tremble and ruby lips form a thin line, crimson eyes open wide in fear hidden behind her signature pair of scarlet shades. She is pale, the words of the old Summoner are still ringing in her ears.

_''The Eternal Nightmare has escaped..''_

She spots the hulking form of Alistar conversing with the Starchild and she instantly lunges forward diving between the minotaur's feet, her body barely touches the ground before she tumbles forward continuing her frantic race and she hears Ahri apologizing behind her as she all but tosses herself at the top of an empty staircase.

''The specter is still weak… Searching for prey… Avoid sleeping at all costs.''

There is a group of champions flocking the passageway, Vayne grits her teeth, she keeps running straight for the small gathering, red eyes practically blazing. Braum notices her and moves forward placing his shield between the crowd and the approaching vampire, but Vayne ignores him, she jumps forward smashing her shoulder against the enchanted ice-shield and Braum actually staggers as Shauna pushes him out of the way and continues onwards, fractured arm and shoulder miraculously mending in a couple of seconds after she darts into another hallway.

Braum blinks in surprise, eyeing his shield warily and Ashe takes note of the small cracks covering the artifact's surface as the item starts repairing itself with a loud hiss, a faint glow starts building-up around the item as a new layer of True Ice wells up from the center of the artifact's core, sinking into the cracks.

_"Nightmare feeds on negative emotions.. Wounds while dreaming will actually appear on the victim's body.."_

She has finally reached the Demacian section of the Institute and she can already spot the Ranger's door, carefully closed as she has left it before heading out. Shauna had left the key under the rag facing the entrance before leaving so she falls on her knees and shoves her hands under the fabric silently begging for the small object to be absent. It doesn't seem to work but then again, when was the last time some kind of higher being had actually decided to answer to her desperate pleas? Never. She grabs the key and nervously inserts it in the keyhole, her hand twists even as her gaze drops on the floor and the door opens silently.

_"Please be awake, please be awake and I promise I won't let you out of my sight ever again."_

But it is of no use, the scout is still slumbering on the bed and she won't wake up no matter how many times Shauna calls her name or shakes her shoulders and the metallic scent of blood suddenly makes the vampire choke on her own saliva as she grabs hold of the linen covers and slowly peels them off Quinn's motionless body only to take note of the woman's pale complexion and the contact mark bleeding profusely underneath all over the place.

She doesn't react when Ahri approaches her and wraps her arms around her waist, pressing her chin against her freshly healed shoulder blade and she doesn't even blink when the seductress kisses her cheek tenderly, whispering that everything is going to be alright. She feels cold, hollow. Her heart is slowly collapsing inside her chest and her legs are shaking. A small series of bruises starts appearing around the scout's throat as if Quinn is being choked to death by the hands of a small child and the ranger starts coughing weakly.

And it's only when Quinn's whimpers slowly turn to sobs that Vayne finally turns to face the Ionia seductress, eyes wet and glazed with tears, sending Ahri a pleading look that could even melt the Ice Witch's heart if she ever laid eyes upon it. The huntress takes a shaky breath as she reaches for the miniature crossbow attached on her leather gauntlet and dislodges the silver tipped bolt resting against the stretched strings of the mechanism.

"Please, let me drink some of your blood."

Ahri blinks, she takes a step back and releases the vampire in order to take a better look at her face, she doesn't really mind letting Vayne feed on her, both of them have let the other one feast on them at some point, but..

"I thought you could only drink from your mate after the contract is formed."

The scout grunts in her sleep as if to confirm the fox's suspicions and then starts sobbing pitifully, meanwhile the bruises on her neck start bleeding as the invisible assailant's fingernails puncture the soft skin around her throat and Shauna is about to have a heart attack.

"I do, I am not trying to quench my thirst, I just need to slow down my healing for a few minutes. I will explain later if we have the time. Now, please, I… I don't want to attack you, but I am desperate. I will take your blood even if that means you would come to hate me."

Ahri just spares her a glance before sighing in defeat, she takes a step forward and offers the vampire her throat.

"I could never hate you Shauna, you are a dear friend to me and the kindest soul I have ever met even if you try to hide it most of the time, so please stop torturing yourself like that. You have my permission to drink my blood.''

Shauna nods, she steps forward and wraps her arms around Ahri, she pauses for a moment in order to murmur a _thank you_ before she plunges her fangs into the rich fountain of her friend's neck. Ahri stays relatively still while the vampire proceeds to consume her blood, her eyes pinned on the slumbering form of the girl resting under the linen covers.

"I really hope she is worth all this trouble."

"She is."

Shauna doesn't even pause to think before she answers and she then instantly collapses on the floor, spewing blood and breathing heavily. Ahri grimaces, but Vayne stands up in a matter of seconds still shaky and breathless but determined and sighs before raising the crossbow bolt, aiming its tip on the pale skin of her forearm.

"I need to concentrate now so I will have to ask you to leave, you can wait outside if you would like to, but I would really appreciate it if you would be kind enough to alert the Summoners of our ordeal, and maybe bring me a couple of healers.''

Ahri is speechless, she silently observes Vayne as she plunges the silver bolt inside her limbs and forearms and even the top of her forehead, hastily curving symbols against her own bleeding fresh.

"What the hell are you doing!?"

Ahri's hand shoots out, trying to grasp the bloodstained crossbow bolt, ruining the huntress' peerless skin only to be slapped away by the bleeding palm of the Night Hunter. Vayne just stares at her and even if her expression is cold, Ahri can still spot the sparks of despair rapidly coming ito life behind her dear friend's eyes. Vayne just jerks her head towards the sobbing scout.

"I am taking her place, I can survive this, she won't. Bring me a Summoner if you really want to help me, the ritual has already started and disturbing it will only cause me more pain."

Their eyes meet and Ahri abruptly slaps her, Vayne just turns her head along with the blow. The cursed blood of the Night Hunter now stains the Ionian Seductress' hand.

"You dumb bitch! You of all people should know that no one has ever survived a full scale invasion from the Eternal Nightmare. I practically helped you commit suicide!"

Crimson tearstained eyes rise and Shauna somehow manages to smile as her fingers open and the now scarlet crossbow bolt hits the ground with a loud thud.

"No, you just helped me save someone I can't live without and you even stayed with me during most of the ritual even though you couldn't stand seeing me in pain. You are a really good friend Ahri, more than I have ever deserved."

She leans in pressing a soft kiss against the seductress' cheek and gives her a gentle push towards the door still smiling awkwardly.

"Now off you go, the next part of the spell is a bit disturbing and I don't want you to see me crying if I can help it. Bring me a Summoner in time and I might even survive the first few hours, or you can just stand there watching Nocturne taking over my body, meanwhile I am bleeding all over the place."

Her smile falters as Ahri run away spewing curses and Vayne sighs and raises her hand, curling her fingers around one of her extended canines. She breaks the tooth and then the other one and uses the sharp bone fragment to curve a final rune under each eye. She has to move quickly, a vampire's fangs are not just for show and she has seconds before she succumbs to a shock induced coma, screaming her lungs out.

She harriedly crawls under the scout's covers and presses herself against her potential mate's body. Quinn's skin is pleasantry warm and Shauna can already see the black mist swirling around the slumbering scout and she smiles bitterly when the smoke suddenly invades her nostrils and eyes filling her lungs with poisonous ink. And then everything fades into darkness and she hears herself screaming until she sinks into oblivion only to come face to face with the Eternal Nightmare. That's when she finally allows herself to cry.


	22. Chapter 22

The scout runs like the wind, she dashes across the empty corridor filled with open doors and jammed windows, containing nightmares and grotesque abominations disguised as her loved ones.

And she shouts, no, she is screaming, calling for help behind every dark new doorway but the only answer she ever receives is the sinister Specter's screeching laughter and the appearance of a new nightmare.

How long has she been running? Not even she can be sure of that anymore, her feet are trembling from exhaustion and she can still feel her brother's pale fingers wrapping around her bruised neck. She gulps and she suddenly comes to a halt when she abruptly realizes that there is a group of shades blocking her way to the next hallway.

Quinn curses, she attempts to turn and run back the way she came from when a skinny hand shots out of the crowd and grabs her forearm, small bloody fingers coil around her arm with enough force to break her bones and Quinn screams in pain as she comes face to face with the smiling visage of her deceased brother.

"Hey, Quinny, are you going to abandon me again?"

The voice of the puppet is cheerful, carefree, a perfect imitation of Caleb's own tone and speech pattern from when he was alive and Quinn has to pause and glance down at the ghost child's foggy eyes before she remembers what kind of creature is actually standing before her.

"Stop using my brother's voice, you vile creature!"

Quinn attempts to pull her arm away but the specter's grip is tighter than a Shuriman merchant's purse and Caleb smiles wickedly as the rest of the specters start approaching them slowly.

"You aren't going anywhere anytime soon Quinny and you are the one that should have died that day anyway. You left me behind just to save your own skin!"

Quinn shakes her head vigorously, she takes a deep breath and pins her gaze straight on the nightmare's smug face, so much alike and yet completely different from the beaming lopsided grins of her dear brother.

"You are wrong, I did everything in my power to save you. Shauna was just too fast for me to react to, everything was over by the time I realized what was happening."

And then the specter giggles, his smile threatens to split his entire face in half and he leans back before bursting into laughter. Quinn cringes and makes a final futile attempt to take a step back as all the shades in the corridor join him producing different kinds of disturbing laughter that range from horrifying imitations of childlike giggles and shouts, all the way to booming sounds of joy.

And it isn't long until the whole corridor is quaking from the volume of the inhuman screeches and the puppets and shades hiding behind the doors start slouching out of their chambers and start moving towards them, walking forward, stumbling on disfigured appendages and atrophic limbs. And Quinn? Quinn can't even breath properly as the.. Thing wearing her brother's face finally stops laughing and shakes its head in amusement.

"Shauna? When did you suddenly become so close to that disgusting murderer? I thought that you were supposedly tracking down my killer in order to avenge my death, oh dear sister."

"I will and I promise that, but I can't just shove a knife between her ribs anymore. Things have changed since I forced her into servitude, brother. She is not just a monster, she feels remorse and the burden of her sins has almost obliterated her."

The boy sighs and every sign of joy suddenly disappears from his visage, he glares at his sibling in contempt and Quinn withers under his gaze.

"So what if she is being overwhelmed with guilt? So what if the weight of her actions is practically killing her? She murdered me Quinny! She sank her fangs into my throat and snuffed the life out of me! She took me away from you, daddy, and mommy! She made daddy go away and she shattered our lives without even a shred of hesitation and you now want to forgive her?"

Caleb glares at her and the specter's voice lowers dangerously.

"You are a traitor, dear sister. You let this… Shauna murder me and you are now even taking the side of my killer. You are a failure as a Demacian, a sister and even as a human being."

The shades around them silently nod in agreement and Quinn is shoved to their outstretched arms and all she can do is squirm as the specters start dragging her towards an elevated wooden platform.

There is a pair of iron shackles waiting for her at the center of the construct and a rusty guillotine glinting ominously above them and there are even some chairs placed in front of the stage and Quinn can already spot the faces of her parents seated somewhere on the first row.

Her mother's features are twisted in disgust and her father spits on the ground as the abominations shove her roughly near the shackles.

"Traitor!"

"Harlot!"

"Vampire sympathizer!"

"It's like you killed him yourself!"

"You beast!"

"Have you no shame?"

"You let him die so you could escape instead!"

"Gouge out her eyes!"

The crowd starts jeering at her, insulting her, spitting on her face and it isn't long before the fist rotten fruit hits her shoulder, flung by none other than her favorite uncle. Quinn knows that all of this is just a cruel illusion, a vicious spectacle created by the sadistic Spirit known as Nocturne, but she still can't bear to look at the obvious disgust coloring her beloved ones' faces and that makes her burst into tears. She shamefully lowers her head as a final shove pushes her before the altar.

A shade approaches her and starts securing her hands into the shackles and Quinn still can't take her father's scowling face out of her mind when suddenly another shade jumps onto the stage and kicks the first puppet away.

Quinn blinks, her eyes widening in surprise as little Shauna grabs her hand and starts dragging her back in the safety of the corridor and away from the angry ghoulish crowd jeering at them.

"Wha?"

"Stop talking, just keep moving."

The voice is young like the child's previously screaming in the torture chamber, her hand is small and pale, barely big enough to fit into the scout's sweaty palm, the top of the specter's head doesn't even reach Quinn' chest and yet Quinn instantly realizes that there is something about this shade that is entirely different from all the other versions of Shauna she has encountered thus far.

The two of them are soon back into the ever stretching corridor, running past the endless rows of doors filling its deserted hallways and the specters doesn't seem interested in chasing them for some reason.

The nightmarish child keeps pressing forward dragging her behind her while she intently peeks into the open doors as if searching for something. Quinn unconsciously follows her gaze and instantly regrets it.

Terrified eyes stare right back at her while ironclad madmen torture the girls in the worst ways possible, corpses litter a wealthy manor leaking scarlet rivers, bloody carcasses collapse on the ground and a crimson eyed child holds onto one such carcass sobbing its mother's name into the corpse's ear.

"Don't look at them."

The child-specter's voice is strained but gentle, as its own gaze wanders inside the rooms memorizing every little detail of the bloody spectacles. Vayne lightly squeezes the scout's hand and Quinn blinks in surprise.

The corridor seems to stretch endlessly and now the scenes inside the rooms change as Shauna's memories starting mixing with the vampire's fears, desires and ambitions.

The brilliant capital of Demacia is burning, the imposing royal palace has already went up in flames. Prince Jarvan IV howls in agony as everything he ever loved and held dear turns to cinders right before his very eyes…

A line of Vaynes are violently being led into a platform much like the one Quinn has just escaped from, the guillotine falls repeatedly and the vampires' heads start rolling onto the bloodstained wooden planks of the gallows. The crowd cheers loudly and when they turn to face her, Quinn realizes that they are all Vayne….

A familiar gravestone illuminated by the pale moonlight, Quinn can read her brother's name etched on the grey gravestone and Shauna is standing next to it, obviously waiting patiently for something to happen and suddenly a small hand shoots out of the ground and then another one as her brother starts crawling out of his grave.

"Stop staring at them!"

Little Shauna pulls her forward and Quinn's gaze slowly returns to the child-specter's small trembling back and it's only then that the scout finally notices that the specter's skin is covered in burns and whip marks peeking shyly from under her torn, ragged clothing. Quinn impulsively extends her arm and runs her palm across the dirtied, bruised skin and Shauna suddenly hisses in pain, she whips her head to the side in order to shoot her an agitated glare above her skinny shoulder and Quinn gasps in surprise. Because the child's irises aren't misty orbs of malice like the nightmarish puppet's she has encountered so far, but a beautiful shade of red instead, gentle and vivid and welling up with tears.

"…Shauna?"

The specter jerks its head back in an instant, flinching as if it has been slapped and stays silent as it continues leading her deeper into the hallway and Quinn smiles a little as she can finally see the end of the corridor. A dark, dusty staircase descending into a dark pit of shadows.

A cry of pain draws her attention and her eyes dart across the room closest to her where an adult version of Vayne is tearing into her neck, but oddly enough her doppelganger isn't crying out for help or struggling for freedom, but she wraps her arms around the vampire's head instead and leans closer in order to kiss her ear as Vayne moans loudly while feeding from her neck…. The fake ranger seems to be enjoying the whole thing and… are they taking their clothes off?

Little Shauna hurries to close the door and she then clears her throat awkwardly, her face as scarlet and flustered as her fleeting gaze.

"Please, stop looking inside those rooms, those manifestations are personal and only meant for me."

Quinn just nods absentmindedly, her eyes still glued on the closed doorframe and Shauna sighs giving her hand a small final squeeze before she shoves her towards the staircase.

"There you go, your way out of this hellhole. Just reach the bottom and open the door and everything will be fine."

The scout nods and takes a step towards the hole, she can hear voices coming out of the swirling darkness, argent ones at that.

"Her heartbeat is rising."

"Give her more blood."

"Something is wrong! She is getting worse!"

"Stars hear me!"

"She goes into shock!"

"Someone bring me more bandages!"

She takes another cautious step and the world seems to brighten, the shadows disappear, she can finally make up a room, brimming with people dressed as healers and a body resting upon a bloody mattress.

She turns to smile at her pint-sized savior and the smile freezes on her face when she realizes that little Shauna is still standing at the end of the corridor, surrounded by angry nameless terrors, her expression grim and her tiny arms stretched to the side creating a pathetic excuse of a barrier, blocking the nightmares' advance.

"Shauna!"

The first shade moves forward and Quinn instantly recognizes him from Shauna's memories, it is her father. Shauna takes a small step back and then stops, she starts shacking when another specter makes its appearance clad in a golden suit of armor. Jarvan.

"Get out of here! I can't follow you any further! I need to stay behind for this to work."

Shauna's father smiles, Jarvan starts laughing, Caleb's doppelganger slowly joins him, white milky eyes shining with glee. A disturbing screech of a voice suddenly fills the dimly lit hallway.

"Night Hunter, how nice of you to join us.."

Another shade glides forward, this one darker than the others, crueler, more sinister, ancient.. Nocturne stops just in front of the trembling child and presses a curved blade under the huntress' chin.

"Shau-"

"QUINN, YOU HAVE TO LEAVE THIS PLACE OR WE ARE BOTH DEAD! GAHh!"

Quinn doesn't stop when the umbra blades penetrate the vampire-child, she turns around and darts into the staircase as Shauna's blood paints the floor crimson, and the world seems to be fading only to shine blighter than ever before with every panicked stride she takes. The voices around her also grow louder but also more desperate by the second.

"We are losing her!"

"Contact the Head Summoner, tell him to remove the spells limiting our powers! This is an emergency."

"Blood, give her more blood! She keeps puking it!"

"Stars, hear me."

"Stars, hear me."

"Stars, hear…"

She takes a final step, grasps the handle of the glowing door, opens it and jumps into the light as the world around her explodes.

* * *

00000

"Charge! Everyone clear out. "

*Thuck

The room is white, her vision is blurry, someone is yelling next to her. She is too weak to get up and see what's happening, she opts to turn her head to the side instead.

"Charge! Everyone clear out. "

*Thuck

"No vitals, keep trying!"

Blurry, everything is too damn blurry for her to make out anything, she focuses her gaze on the red dot in the background waiting for her sight to start clearing.

"Charge!"

*Thuck

"Where is the Head Summoner?!"

"He is undoing the spell, but it's going to take some time. The restrictions are.."

"We don't have time, we are losing her!"

"Stars hear me."

See can make out some shapes now, the white things running all over the place are some sort of healers, she recognizes Soraka chanting frantically above a motionless patient covered in crimson and the red dot.. The red dot is.. Shauna's glassy eye staring at her lifelessly.

"Charge! Everyone clear out. "

*Thuck

"Any changes?"

"No, sir, there is still no heartbeat, keep trying."

*Thuck

"We have permission from the Head Summoner, you can now use your powers to their full potential!"

"Live!"

"For life!"

"Have hope!"

*Thuck

*Thuck

*Thuck

*Thuck

"Get the girl out of here."

Someone seems to finally notice her, a Summoner dressed in white nods and starts pushing her bed out of the chamber, away from the panicked healers, the agitated nurses, the sobbing Starchild, the mangled form of her enemy turned savior.

"Shauna!"

*Thuck

*Thuck

"SHAUNA!"

She can no longer contain the flood of her tears and she lets them out along with an agonized scream of her dead savior's name.

"SHAUUUNAAAAA!"

"Stars hear me!"

The last healing spell collides with the vampire's motionless body and suddenly as if to answer the healer's desperate prayers and silence her beloved-not-yet-lover's agonized screams Shauna's heart jump-starts.

The machinery around her starts beeping alarmingly and the entire room holds its breath as the vampire comes back to life with a violent convulsion and a pained scream raised towards the heavens before she collapses back on her mattress unconscious.

Akali blinks blankly and clears her throat before giving the Starchild a small squeeze on the shoulder.

"Good job."

Everyone pauses for a moment in order to congratulate the Celestial healer, huskily repeating the medical ninja's words, but Soraka just shakes her head wearily. Akali spares Soraka an inquisitive glance, but the healer's expression is one of dumbfounded amazement and her eyes are opened wide, slowly traveling between the speechless scout and the unconscious vampire. She gives Quinn a look of awe.

"I didn't do that."

A pale purple hand rises only to point a single digit at the Wing of Demacia.

"She did it. She is the one that brought Vayne back to life."

Quinn numbly gets up from her stretcher and stumbles towards the unconscious vampire, she pauses for a second before she presses her hand against one of Shauna's scarred, pale cheeks and when she does the vampire starts purring softly much to the Celestial healer's amazement.

Akali briefly glances at the heart monitor and gives Soraka a look, then jerks her head towards the scout and then back at the machine. The Celestial healer, raises a single eyebrow, then takes a look at the screen and her eyebrows almost disappear under her hairline. She nods frantically.

"She can stay."

* * *

**You are a wizard Harry.. Well not really, Quinn doesn't actually have magical abilities, the whole reanimation thing was mostly symbolic and because Quinn was screaming Shauna's name… And because of Teemo. Yes, you see Teemo secretly loves Vayne and fought Satan in order to return her soul back to her body, but the fight chanced him however, corrupting his soul and mind and now he is the new Demon King of Valoran. That's.. That's canon you know! Explanations are overrated anyway.  
**


	23. Chapter 23

"What do you mean, you haven't managed to banish Nocturne yet? I thought you were considered an arcane prodigy or something. Was that all just a hoax?"'

It had been almost a day since the whole infirmary incident and the countless failed attempts to release Vayne from the Eternal Nightmare's clutches. The concerned Summoners did of course their best, but the specter seemed to be lodged deep inside the unconscious huntress' brain and every attempt to remove him was met with gut-wrenching screams and ribbons of crimson nectar being torn out of Shauna's bloodstained lips. The vampire's last seizure had been so tremendously violent that the Head Summoner had finally decided to call it a day and leave the vampire at the Starchild's care until he came up with a solution.

Quinn's eyes narrowed dangerously as she glared at the Rogue Mage and the blue man just sighed exasperatedly before motioning for the ranger to follow him, Quinn silently complied and soon the two of them were standing inside the inner study of the powerful blue sorcerer.

Ryze's study was enormous, a huge chamber filled with lines upon lines of dusty bookshelves containing arcane tomes of immense power and ancient spell books written in forgotten languages beyond mortal understanding. Whatever small space remained that wasn't covered by scrolls, grimoires or cobwebs was occupied by the huge glass displays that housed the powerful magical artifacts that the primal mage had gathered from all across Valoran, while searching for mystical fonts of knowledge during his younger days.

"Please, have a seat."

Quinn remains silent even through her eyes wander across the chamber searching for some sort of chair or cushion hidden beneath the piles of book that threaten to reach the ceiling, but apparently there is none. She is about to point that out to the Rogue Mage, when Ryze that was frantically gathering scrolls and parchments in the meantime suddenly pauses and snaps his fingers loudly making a wooden chair appear out of thin air.

"Sorry about that, sometimes I forget that not all of us know of the Forty-four verses of the Great Maeyer. I will be with you in just a moment."

Quinn just stares at the comfy looking chair and pokes at one of its legs with her boot before finally concluding that yes, it is safe enough for her to sit down. The scout doesn't really know much about magic and how it works but the little things she does know about it makes her extremely cautious around witches and unfamiliar spellcasters in general and even though the experience didn't really manage to traumatize her, her recent encounter with the infamous Ice Witch while gathering intelligence in the frigid land of Freljord doesn't really help her see magic in a new light.

"Yeah, me too."

Ryze ignores her sarcastic remark, lost in his thoughts as he wanders around the bookshelves tracking down various tomes and parchments from a wide variety of origins and time periods before delicately placing them on the big wooden desk in front of her. The primal mage takes a few more seconds in order to make sure that everything he needs is gathered in front of him before he takes a deep breath in order to compose himself. He then leans forward so he can peer straight into the inpatient amber eyes of the young Demacian ranger.

"Ok, girl, I will try to water this down as much as possible, but pay attention because I won't say it twice and I don't want to waste daylight."

Quinn has half a mind to lash out at the rude blue mage for belittling her intelligence, but she restrains herself. The more she occupies the bitter old scholar, the more time she will have to spend in his presence and she would also prefer for Ryze to go back to helping Vayne as soon as possible. She nods politely and Ryze just huffs and starts opening random books in front of him before pointing at specific drawings of symbols inscribed among their ink-stained pages.

"The Thorn, the Freljordian symbol of protection granted to people by the ancestors of Queen Avarosa, the fist Queen of the Freljord that led the region to prosperity countless ages ago. Some tribes still engrave this rune in the bones of their fallen warriors in order to ward off evil."

Ryze cracks another book and starts shaking it in front of the scout's face, Quinn has just a few fleeting moments to inspect what looks like an open eye encased in a golden triangle before the scholar starts speaking again as he shoves the book away.

"The eye of the Emperor, a magical symbol frequently located in the ancient tombs of Shuriman priests. The symbol is supposedly helping the spirit of the deceased traverse into the afterlife. Are you still following me girl?"

Quinn nods and Ryze pauses for a second, he reaches for something under his desk and then presents to her a tattered piece of paper covered in shaky black letters.

"The writing of the Shadow Isles, Vayne used at least five of the symbols depicted in this parchment in order to decorate the flesh around her chest and torso. The meaning of these inscriptions along with the first nine symbols carved across her arms and forearms still eludes me, but the rest of them seem like broken Biljewater nonsense to me. And then.. There are those…"

The Arcane scholar's voice lowers as he throws an age-old tome into the unprepared hands of the scout and the book almost ends up falling from her before Quinn manages to catch it. She sends Ryze an annoyed glare before her gaze returns back to the decayed pages of the ancient tome and Quinn's anger instantly dissipates, lost in a maelstrom of other emotions as her gaze lands on the faded red symbol. The same red symbol she remembers encountering on the vampire's bleeding face, carved deeply into Shauna's bloodstained cheeks.

"…What is it?"

Quinn raises her amber eyes in order to meet the Rogue mage's flickering orbs of thunder and Ryze seems to be out of clever retorts and sarcastic remarks for once. The wise old scholar sighs, he leans over the desk and proceeds to glare into its dusty surface as if the wooden furniture has somehow insulted him before he starts talking in a serious measured tone.

"That's the Hollow Dice of Fate, the Dark Covenant, the Shinning Chariot, The Last Kiss of the Saint, Devil's Whisper, it has countless other names, but that doesn't really matter at this point. The important part is that this character used to be the 27th letter of the Riverers' alphabet, a nomadic tribe living across the Serpentine river until they later adopted the writing of Bilgewater and the Serpent marks, as they called their ideograms, were abandoned."

The scout just nods and so Ryze continues.

"This particular symbol doesn't have a specific meaning set in stone, its purpose changes according to the wishes of the bearer and the details of the inscription process. If one carved it on his lips for example it would mean Life since our mouths are the tools that we use to sustain ourselves. Another example would be tattooing it on ones' legs, our legs help us stand, but also walk and traverse distance so it might mean path, but the meaning would change if it was carved in the flesh of a cripple since the bearer would infuse it with his desire to walk again. The symbol would then be spelled as Wish or Dream or even Determination since the invoker is determined to overcome the difficulties and live his life to the best of his abilities.''

Ryze takes a deep breath and when he speaks again his voice is soft like velvet and that alone sets off all kind of alarm bells inside the scout's now aching skull.

"You see the problem originates from the fact that Vayne isn't an experienced spellcaster like, let's say me or Veigar, so she probably had no idea of the right way to cast a spell of this magnitude. She must have panicked upon realizing that Nocturne was torturing you and started drawing the symbols she encountered during her witch hunts, or maybe she already knew some basic things about thorn magic and witchcraft from fighting corrupted spellcasters, I don't know. She certainly doesn't look like your average spellcaster and that's the scary part, because..."

"She succeeded. I can't be sure if the ritual is complete, if it backfired, or if it is still in process and something bad is about to happen at any second now, but she somehow managed to pull it off. She chased Nocturne away from your head and into her own. I can only make speculations about the real nature of the spell and the enchantment's entire purpose, but it would explain why the Summoners have so much trouble expelling the Specter from Shauna's mind. My deductions so far aren't really pleasant, do you still wish to hear them?"

Quinn just nods, her head is hurting and her throat is too dry to even utter a single word, her gaze drops back on the desk only to land on the ominous symbol and for a second she thinks that she sees the glyph glow as if it's mocking her, but the light disappears after she blinks and Ryze doesn't comment on it, so it must have been her imagination.

"Shauna heard of the announcement about Nocturne's escape and immediately rushed to your room where she found you already asleep, trapped inside your own mind. Seeing the Specter injuring you and the wounds appearing on your body, the Night Hunter decided to help you, but alerting the Institute would take too much time and you would be dead by the time the Summoners arrived or at least that's what Vayne must have concluded because I afraid that she cursed herself. "

Ryze stays silent after uttering those words and Quinn doesn't dare raise her eyes to meet his flickering gaze, she keeps her amber orbs locked on the yellow pages and the faded symbols and she counts her heartbeats until the room stops spinning and she remembers that she has to breathe.

"You said that she carved on her flesh a symbol of protection."

"The Thorn? She reversed it, now it is a beacon for malice and malevolent entities. I hadn't even seen a reversed Thorn before yesterday."

"What about the Eye of the Emperor? You said that it helps the spirits reach the heaven."

"I said the afterlife, Quinn, not heaven. The Eye of the Emperor is basically a gate for wondering spirits."

"You said something about symbols from Bilgewater."

"Yes, you see, Bilgewater is a hovel for gambling rodents and lowlifes. Their most common belief is that everything can be bought and sold and that everything has its price… Even life and death for that matter. Vayne probably wrote some kind of bargain for the Dream demon.

"Then why did she have to use her own fangs in order to draw the Dice? She could have just as easily used the crossbow bolt like in the previous symbols."

"The action's nature was probably symbolic, a boon for the Dream Demon perhaps, or a show of her conviction to uphold her end of the deal, it could also be the power of intent that powered up the spell. One could even interpret it as an act of submission, since the canines are a vampire's most prized possession and parting with them is extremely painful for them, Shauna could be offering herself to the shade. She may even have removed her fangs in order to instantly lose consciousness, pass into the land of swirling dreams and guide you back to safety before the Eternal Nightmare realized what was happening under his nonexistent nose."

She is trembling, she is sweating, the whole room is spinning but she still has to ask even if she passes out or throws up all over the Rogue Mage's precious tomes, so she gathers her wits for one final question and opens her mouth.

"What does the Hollow Dice mean for Vayne?"

Ryze closes his eyes and leans back in his chair until his body hits the cushions, he licks his lips to earn some precious seconds as he tries to find the right words to soften the Scout's blow.

"Well.. She carved it under her eyes and the eyes are said to be the windows to one's soul, right? But now that she is… Dreaming the doorways to Shauna' soul are closed and the windows are barred because the light can't reach her anymore. So, I guess that would make Shauna's eyes… A windowless room, a locked chamber, a closed box or more specifically, a prison for the Eternal Nightmare. "

The Rogue Mage sighs and the room seems to be fading and Quinn has trouble keeping her eyes open as her body starts tilting to the side, but Ryze isn't finished with her yet and his voice can somehow still penetrate the fog of her mind and reach her ears. His words are still painfully audible.

"So you see the reason why we have so much trouble trying to free the huntress is not because we are lacking as masters of our craft or because Nocturne has somehow managed to regain his old power in such a short amount of time, but because the Night Hunter intentionally turned her soul into a cage in order to save you."

The room disappears, her eyelids silently close, Quinn doesn't even realize it when her body hits the floor or hears the old Scholar's startled voice. No, her mind can only process Ryze's last five words and see a picture of Shauna screaming her lungs out while getting strapped down to her bed. She doesn't hear the Rogue Mage's footsteps or Lux's angry yells as the blue man hurriedly carries her back to the infirmary, she can only observe the fractured scenes in front of her as Shauna's nightmares start slipping in her mind through their connection.

* * *

000000

Little Shauna suddenly shivers, she blinks in confusion, swallows her last bite of cake and then turns around in order to face the beaming face of her mother.

"Sorry mommy, did you say something?"

The older woman just smiles at her kindly and starts wiping the child's mouth with a handkerchief as Vayne pouts cutely.

"Yes, sweetie, I asked you if you liked the cake."

Shauna's eyebrows furrow as she solemnly starts pondering the question with a maturity completely unlike a normal seven year old child. Well, the cake itself wasn't that bad and the presentation was ok mostly, but the creamy white letters at the top of the confection were shaky and kind of all over the place as if that was the first attempt of the chef in pastry and the bottom was kind of burnt at some places. Everything else was fine and the strawberry cake tasted ok even if it couldn't possibly be compared to the chocolate goodness the Head chef had prepared for her birthday last year. Shauna still had dreams about that cake and the absence of the treat this year stung just a little bit, even if she wouldn't admit that to her dear mother of course. She opens her mouth to announce her verdict, notices the burns covering her mother's hands and puts two and two together. She smiles sweetly.

"It was delicious mother, in fact it was the most delicious cake I have ever eaten."

Her mother laughs and hugs her and then shyly admits that she was the one that made the cake along with one of the servants working in the kitchen, she cheekily declares that the next one is going to be even tastier and proceeds to kiss the child on the cheek. And Shauna? Little Shauna doesn't reply and she mostly remains silent throughout the whole exchange, because she already knows how this story ends and she knows that there will be no cake and candles or smiles and hugs or presents on her next birthday and because she can already see the vampire approaching them while smiling sinisterly, bathed in her father's blood.


	24. Chapter 24

Darkness. Hungry tendrils made of shadows crawl across the ceiling, preying on the sunlight and also what little hope remains inside the poor tortured creature, the impenetrable curtains of ink cover the whole chamber choking any trace of shimmer that would otherwise dare to threaten the night's domain. Vayne is lying in a pool of dark crimson, arms wrapped around her head and cheeks stained with blood and tears as another kick shatters her ribs and bruises her internal organs and she can only cry out in pain as her tormentor's hand grabs a hold of her messy black braid and forces her back on her knees.

"You are a monster."

Quinn punches her again and Vayne grunts weakly as the air is suddenly knocked out of her lungs, a shaky hand reaches for the hem of her mate's shirt as wet ruby eyes rise to meet beautiful shining orbs of amber.

"Stop, please… Please, don't call me that."

The ranger responds with another blow, this time to the side of the head and Vayne screams as the scout's knuckles make contact with her unprotected flesh, crashing her ear.

"But you are a monster, Shauna. Normal human beings don't go around killing children or gobble down their victims' blood."

Shauna just whimpers softly, her gaze lowers, her broken fingers twitch nervously still wrapped around the soft fabric of her mate's shirt.

"I didn't mean to kill him, it was an accident, I swear!"

Another blow makes contact with her body and then another one and Vayne is suddenly facing the ceiling and she can't move at all. Quinn kneels down next to her, grabs a hold of her hair and roughly yanks her head upwards until Shauna can peer into her angry amber eyes.

"Do you know why you can't move?"

Shauna tries to shake her head or whisper an answer, but she soon finds out that she can do neither of those things and that her body feels heavy and unresponsive. Quinn just smirks at that, smiling at her sweetly and something in that cheerful, obviously fake expression completely terrifies the wounded vampire.

And then Quinn suddenly starts stroking her cheek, carefully avoiding the bruised flesh and horrible injuries and Shauna can't really help it when a small blush finds its way to her tired face and she starts purring involuntary. Quinn's smile widens until it almost threatens to split off her face and disappear under the ocean of red.

"Oh, ho ho, I didn't know you were a masochist my little vampire, and here I thought that damaging your spine and muscles would scare you, but it looks like you are really enjoying yourself there. Oh, well, I think I might have to step up my game."

Shauna shoots her an alarmed glare, but the scout just smiles happily and gives the vampire a little peck on the forehead.

"Hmm, how about we strangle you a little bit.. Oh and we can use heated silver bolts to decorate your body with beautiful drawings! And then we can brand you! It's only fair since your stupid curse mark gave me an ugly black tattoo without asking for my permission! But, first…"

Shauna is already crying, she tries to crawl away, but she is still paralyzed and she can't even move a finger, she sends the scout one last pleading look as the woman starts dragging her towards a big black metal box shaped like an oversized coffin, filled with tiny keyholes, the size of a bronze coin and Shauna doesn't even have to look inside to know that the interior is plated with pure silver.

Quinn opens the door and unceremoniously dumps the vampire inside, intentionally letting her land on her fractured shoulder before locking the hatch behind her and Shauna can't even close her eyes as she finds herself trapped inside the most dreaded object of her childhood. She hears Quinn's muffled voice as the woman walks away leaving her to rot inside her silver plated prison and Shauna whimpers again as her gaze wanders across the bloodied scratch marks littering the box's surface, grim reminders of Shauna's previous encounters with the horrible torture instrument.

"Try to get a bit of rest, dear. You and I are going to have a lot of fun when I get back."

* * *

00000

Pain is a dear old friend to her at this point and after all the grueling tortures the scout has put her through and all the traumatizing events Shauna was forced to witness, something inside the wounded vampire snaps and her mind starts deteriorating. Shauna soon begins to question her own motives and experiences and as pain fades and her doubts start settling in, her own mindset starts changing, maybe irreversibly.

Black knives made of inky black shadows descend from the ceiling and start engraving her flesh with curses and venomous insults, but Vayne doesn't scream anymore and in fact she doesn't even notice the new circle of torment, because her mind is wandering elsewhere, darting between past experiences and old beliefs and her eyes are dull and lifeless.

Why had she been so scared of this before? Why had she been so frightened, desperately trying to avoid being tortured? Pain didn't mean a thing after her vocal cords were torn by her own frantic screams of agony and her voice was stolen from her. Her parent's death, one of the most traumatic experiences of her entire life wasn't so scary anymore after she was forced to witness Quinn being torn to shreds by a pack of rabid vampires, each one of them bearing her own smiling visage.

And that wasn't all of course, because as Nocturne kept twisting her memories in order to feed off the negative energy produced by her emotions, even Caleb's tragic death, Shauna's second most gut-wrenching experience, finally lost its impact. The innocent child was soon reduced to nothing more than a ghoulish abomination craving blood and murder and had even sank its teeth into Vayne's unprotected face whist Quinn continued beating her senseless.

Some distant, small part of Shauna's still intact brain, locked deeply inside the darkest corners of the tortured huntress' psyche and more specifically the calm persona of the Night Hunter, was still somewhat capable of rational thinking and renounced the woman's sudden change of behavior. The Hunter kept insisting that all of those images were nothing more than cruel illusions meant to break her, but Vayne just discarded the idea. She was a mindless monster after all and like the vampire that had slaughtered her family so many years ago, Shauna couldn't comprehend the meaning of remorse and kindness, or so she had finally convinced herself.

It was a logical conclusion, really. Quinn, Jarvan, Katarina and even the King, Jarvan Lightshield the third, himself, all of those famous, renowned paragons of strength and virtue, worshipped by their people like living gods considered her a mindless beast incapable of feeling anything but hate and hunger. So, maybe they were right.

The public loved them, their looks were astonishing and their voices carried a lot more weight than Vayne's meek opinion ever would, but more importantly everyone trusted their judgment, more so than her own at least and there was probably a reason for that. Well, apart from them being perfectly normal human beings and her being an undead abomination, she hoped.

So maybe, just maybe her tormentors were right all along and maybe she really was just a rampaging monstrosity and she had been the one deluding herself with illusions of fake emotions, trying to prove herself otherwise, pretending to be something that she really wasn't and in possession of something truly unreachable for her greedy bloodstained fingers. Love, Friendship and probably even Happiness.

Yes, that conclusion was passable since those simple qualities escaped her all her life and that would also explain why everyone hated her guts even if they haven't even met her yet. What kind of madman would actually extend a helping hand towards a ruthless monster like her, capable of maiming him in seconds? She was just a beast, she realized, no wonder the soldiers guarding her cell hadn't stopped hitting her no matter how much she screamed and begged for mercy, and it also explained Quinn's unusual behavior.

The scout wasn't a cruel or violent person and if Shauna had to describe her with a single word, that word would definitely be compassionate, so all the beatings and tortures she suffered at the ranger's hands didn't make any sense until she started considering things from the scout's perspective.

If the people around her were actually right, and their view of her being a ruthless beast with an absence of emotions correct, then in reality Shauna was the odd one and Quinn had nothing to feel bad about, because then the scout wasn't doing anything wrong in the first place. Quinn was just taking out her frustration on the emotionless killing machine that had stolen her brother's life.

Yes, that must really be the case, Shauna silently nodded to herself as her mother's corpse rose from the ground and started clawing at her face. Quinn was such a ridiculously, good person, that some might even consider naive and she must have somehow unveiled Shauna's true heinous nature or she would have stopped hurting her otherwise. So her being a beast must have been the undeniable truth.

A boot comes down only to crash her last intact fingers and Shauna doesn't even blink. Caleb crawls out of his grave and starts chewing on random pedestrians, but Vayne just ignores him. Her body starts moving on its own accord and her fangs sink into the fragrant soft flesh of the ranger, but Shauna is again too preoccupied by her own thoughts to notice any of this.

Quinn's life won't be the last innocent life she ends up claiming anyway, vampires tend to do those horrible things from time to time, and if she fails and the scouts start torturing her again? Well, why does it even matter at this point? If it isn't Quinn, someone even more savage and ruthless will surely capture her and start torturing her, that's the fate of inhuman beasts after all.

And when the Eternal Nightmare finally appears in front of her and starts threatening to permanently discard her precious childhood memories Vayne just laughs in his face, uttering hollow choked sounds and spiting her cursed blood, because those happy shards of dreamlike pictures originating from her previous life are probably also figments of her imagination, constructed by her unstable beast-like brain. So she smiles at the specter and starts laughing and the scene looks so horribly wrong and disturbing because the huntress' doesn't have a voice anymore and there is some sort of weird transparent liquid leaking out of her lifeless irises and because even if she doesn't feel a thing and her pain is artificial, the vampire still possesses a heart and it is currently bleeding.

* * *

**Note: Sometimes I feel like I am writing this story just to torment Vayne, but then I remind myself that I just like drama and dark imagery. This chapter ended up too long so I dissected it, I am also annoyed by all the unused paths this story could take, but I think that 25 chapters are already too long and I am trying to reach the story's conclusion. We will talk more about discarded ideas in the next chapter.**


	25. Chapter 25

Quinn enters the room quietly, silently closing the door behind her. The chamber is a simple one, a small white room with a bed and a few chairs and a familiar battered vampire strapped to the mattress, sweating bullets. Soraka is also present here, the healer nods at her and offers her a polite smile as Quinn numbly sits on one of the vacant chairs next to the bed.

"How is she faring?"

Soraka remains silent for a moment and then sighs in defeat as the scout proceeds to slip a hand on top of the vampire's bandaged fingers before dully noting how the gauze around the injured area has already started turning crimson.

"There is no change so far, but she has at least stopped crying, even though I am not sure if that's a good or a bad sign."

Quinn just nods, she leans in and presses her lips on the vampire's hair before she turns back to face Soraka only to notice the Starchild's faint smile, but the celestial healer doesn't comment or mock her and the two of them just let the room be engulfed in comfortable silence for a few more moments. A silence only broken by the continuous beeping sound emitted by the heart monitor and Shauna's labored breathing that is, until Quinn finally decides to speak her mind.

"I don't mean to sound rude or offend you, Starchild, but you should really get some rest. You are looking utterly exhausted."

Soraka just nods while gazing towards her aiming those compassionate gorgeous orbs of golden serenity straight into the scout's sun-kissed, drained features and Quinn can only stare at the healer captivated by those mesmerizing eyes.

"No offence taken, Janna will be replacing me shortly, but you should really follow your own advice. I heard that you fainted while conversing with Ryze a little while ago."

Quinn sighs and quickly averts her eyes, but there is nothing of interest inside the white sterilized room except from Shauna and when her eyes land on the ashen faced vampire, Quinn's eyes are suddenly overwhelmed with tears.

"But she is like that because of me! I hated her, I hated her so much that I forcefully bonded our souls together in order to make her suffer and I tormented her… And then… and then Shauna saved my life and told me that she loved me and I just laughed in her face and called her a heartless monster, breaking her heart. And now… now she is reliving her most painful memories, getting tortured inside her very own mind so I can keep stomping her heart at my own convenience and it hurts, it hurts like hell and there is nothing I can do to help her."

Pale purple arms suddenly wrap around her frame and Quinn sniffles as the Starchild starts murmuring sweet nothings in her ear.

"Shhh… It's ok, Shauna isn't going to die and there is no way that she hates you. She came back to life just to soothe you remember?"

And when the ranger nods with a deep breath and a sniffle a beaming smile blooms on the healer's face.

"Have I ever told you about my first encounter with the grumpy vampire hunter?"

Quinn shakes her head and even cracks a smile after listening to Soraka's rather appropriate description of the Night Hunter.

"It was at the most troubled time of my life. My celestial sisters residing in the sky had exiled me, my powers were weakened considerably and a mad werewolf-man was aiming for my life. After some consideration, the Ionian government decided to appoint me a bodyguard, at least until I had somehow recovered my strength and since Akali was busy with the Kinkou and Irelia was busy with her duties as a Captain, we had to result in accepting the help of outsiders. Various heroes and vagabonds answered our pleas for help, drawn by the prospect of fame and vast riches and one of them was our favorite brooding huntress, carrying her signature weapon and silver crossbow bolts. "

Quinn just nods to let Soraka know that she is still paying attention and the healer continues her narration, speaking with the practiced smooth voice of a veteran storyteller.

"But Karma didn't want to just trust my safety on a random crook trying to land some easy coin, you see so she arranged for an interview of sorts. Each and every one of my potential bodyguard would meet and converse with her and some of the most renowned Ionian champions before Akali's replacement was officially decided. The first few interviews were rather short and uneventful and it didn't take us much time to realize that most of my future guardians were just bandits and lowlifes searching for easy coin. And then, there was Shauna."

Soraka smiles and her eyes tenderly move towards the vampire sending her a soft glance as if embracing her and Quinn remains silent impatiently hanging on the Starshild's lips, fascinated by the healer's story.

"The night had almost fallen when the last candidate finally entered the room and sat in front of me, surrounded by a handful of Ionian champions and I can still remember how Irelia had raised a curious eyebrow at the time and Karma had suddenly stiffened only to calm down a moment later and shoot Akali a quick soothing glance before the ninja's eager Kamas descended on the strange woman. Karma can perceive the state of a person's soul you see and whatever she saw while gazing at the rugged vagabond must have unnerved her greatly if it made her lose her cool and Akali had instantly perceived the duchess' reaction as a sign of imminent danger, springing into action."

Quinn just nods allowing the healer to continue and Soraka smiles widely while reminiscing of the distant events.

"I don't really blame Akali for almost attacking Vayne at the time, the woman sitting in front of me was a mess you see, completely different from the woman you and I now know. Pale and frail and skinny to the point of sickness, wrapped in a dusty traveling cloak and wearing a weird pair of cracked scarlet goggles, Shauna looked like the reanimated corpse of a bandit that had only decided to rise from its grave to gnaw on the unsuspecting people it used to prey upon. The silver tipped bolts loaded in the stranger's crossbows was what really drew Akali's gaze and convinced Irelia that Vayne wasn't just a random crook looking for profit, while Karma always the great host, offered the traveler a word of greetings and a steamy cup of tea. And that was later revealed to be a mistake on the duchess part, you see, because even though Karma's offer was supposed to be a gesture of goodwill and hospitality, Vayne was still mourning her lost humanity and the fragrant liquid inside the cap could only serve as a reminder of her current situation. That must have greatly offended Vayne, because when I approached her in order to pass her the sugar and ask her how she liked her tea Shauna had smiled mischievously, sinisterly even, intentionally showing me her sharp canines through her cracked lips and I can still clearly remember her answer even to this day."

Quinn gazes at her questionably and Soraka can't help but crack a smile, trying to stifle her laughter.

"Ten spoonfuls of blood, no sugar. So start bleeding."

Quinn blinks and the healer can't help, but burst into a fit of laughter and the scout's lips tug into a smile before she even realizes it.

"What happened next? I am guessing your friends didn't really like her answer."

Soraka nods quickly and takes a few deep breaths while her laughter starts fading and then gazes back at the scout with amused golden eyes.

"Oh, no they didn't. Before I even realized what was happening Akali was suddenly on top of her, Kamas raised to strike, while Irelia's blades started rapidly spinning around us clearly agitated, Shen didn't even bat an eyelid and Karma fell on the floor laughing and everyone had to pause and look at her because Karma had never lost her composure before in front of quests or evn war councils. And then I turned around and when I looked at the ragged vampire, Shauna was also having a crooked smile on her lips even though it looked kind of forced and then I realized that that horrible death threat was nothing more than Shauna's awkward attempt to break the ice."

Soraka winks and Quinn has to blink as her smile turns into an expression of pure disbelief.

"You are kidding me, right? Even Vayne couldn't be that bad at socializing. I mean yeah, she tends to keep to herself, but joking about something like that in front of the Captain of the Guard and the Duchess of Ionia? That's a whole new level of stupid!"

"Yes, yes she did and Karma instantly appointed her as my new bodyguard much to the displeasure of a certain female ninja."

The healer just smirks and Quinn frowns remembering her previous talk with the Kinkou ninja, the one about Akali asking her if Vayne was threatening her life and she shrugs, shaking her head in order to clear the image of the troubled medical ninja and then she blinks almost missing the motherly smile of the Starchild, directed at her with gold compassionate eyes.

"Shauna saved my life a lot of times during the next few weeks we spend together and I soon learned that the grumpy vampire that everyone considered a ragged beggar wasn't as frail or weak-minded as everyone though her to be."

The purple arms move away as Janna enters the room eyeing them curiously and the healer quickly releases her as she pushes her tenderly towards the still slumbering vampire.

"Don't be afraid to place your faith in Shauna, Quinn. This grumpy vampire has yet to let me down even after all those years we have known each other and there is no doubt in my mind that Shauna will somehow manage to find her way back to you, even if she has to drag herself though the very gates of hell in order to reach you."

* * *

xxxxxxxx

Vayne coughs and another lungful of blood spills on the silver plating of her cage, it looks like Nocturne has finally gotten tired of her and shoved her back on the Box a few hours after she stopped reacting to his presence. The specter was probably hiding, biding its time until the Summoners finally managed to purge him from her mind and he had no longer any more use for a broken toy like herself. A voiceless sigh, Shauna presses her face against the scorching metal as her body slips back on the floor and this time she doesn't have the strength to turn around and lay on her back, so she just lets the purifying element fry the side of her face until her skin starts boiling.

"Not looking so good, kid."

A pair of strong arms abruptly lift her and suddenly Vayne is placed against one of the walls of her cage, bloodshot eyes slowly open, briefly meeting mischievous white eyes before sliding closed once again with another weak cough and a trickle of crimson. A handkerchief is pressed against her lips, a hand starts rummaging around her rags, inspecting her injuries. The stranger can't help but release a loud whistle.

"Wow, the demon got you good, kid. Even the goat-healer's magic won't help you survive at this point. You will probably be dead by dawn."

Vayne remains silent, her eyes still closed as she is torn between trying to find a more comfortable position that doesn't hurt her body and staying still to reduce her blood loss. It probably won't make any difference. The man then starts slapping her unhurt cheek repeatedly and Shauna opens a single muddy eye in order to glare at him, the slaps doesn't hurt that much compared to her other wounds, but they are certainly annoying. The man smiles charmingly and Shauna scoffs, bleeding lips forming silent sentences.

-You're not even here.-

"Yes, but you are and if you fall asleep right know you won't wake up again."

Shauna nods, but her eyelids instantly start closing and the man slaps her again. Vayne growls weakly.

-The fuck you want, Fate?-

"Me, nothing, I am not even here remember? Your subconscious is trying to tell you something, and unless you start healing soon you won't be here for long either."

Her lips move again, more scarlet droplets hit the floor and start sizzling and the man wipes her mouth, ever the gentleman.

-Can't heal… I am too weak and.. Nocturne holds the reigns of my mind... and body.-

The gambler shakes his head and starts inspecting a small gash under her left eye, now covered in black charred flesh.

"That's what we both thought until you jumpstarted your heart yesterday. What did you carve into your flesh, Vayne?"

Shauna just whimpers, her eyes suddenly lose focus and she starts losing consciousness only to wake up with a silent scream when Twisted Fate jabs his fingers into the bleeding mess that used to be the right collarbone.

"Sorry about that, now tell me about the symbol."

The woman's lips are moving, forming words even while trembling from exhaustion.

-Dice.. Hollow Dice… of Fate-

The man silently nods absentmindedly making his cowboy hat flutter around aimlessly.

"Yes, that's good, you casted the Hollow Dice of Fate. You can still remember that at least, but you have to tell me, what does the symbol mean to you?"

The blood loss is starting to take its toll on her, her eyesight starts blurring and Fate has to keep poking at her wounds in order to keep her awake.

"Shauna! Tell me about the Dice, you can still remember the inscription process, right? Of course you remember! Quinn was currently dying in front of you, there is no way you could have possibly forgotten that."

Blink, another slap, the room is steadily fading.

"Remember, Quinn was crying, you started the ritual, snapped your fangs and then carved a single rune under each eye! What was its meaning?"

It hurts, everything hurts so much and Vayne suddenly wishes that she was dead and that her parents' killer had actually finished the job that terrible, nightmarish night. The vampire slowly starts sliding back on the burning floor and the scorching silver and the light in her eyes dims even farther as her conciousness starts fading, scattering across the abyss of her mind. No one is going to miss her anyway.

-No remember-

Everything is dark for a moment and then she wakes up and Twisted Fate is repeatedly slamming her head against the silver plating of the Box, scorching her head and face and Vayne instantly opens her mouth and tries to cry out in pain, but she only succeeds in spilling even more blood on the plating.

"No, don't go back to sleep! Close your eyes again and..

Another slap and then another, her whole body is now hurting even more than before and her eyes are soon welling with tears.

-Stop.. Hurting.. me.. I am… Going to.. fucking.. kill.. you-

Vayne growls and hisses flashing her fangless teeth, but the man just laughs bitterly and slaps her again as if to rile her.

"No, you won't, you don't even get it. I am you, Shauna, so you are the one practically kicking your own ass inside your cage. Now tell me about the damn symbol and I promise to stop hitting us. Come on, I really dislike hurting you."

-Symbol.. symbol.. Dice of Fate..-

"Yes, yes, it's the fucking Dice of Fate and I am currently disguised as a gambler in order to emphasize that point. I obviously know about the damn symbol. Now tell me what in the void's name does it mean for You, I mean Us, for Shauna fucking Vayne!''

\- Don't.. Know… Don't.. Remember..-

The tears are finally rolling down her cheeks mixing with her blood and much to the vampire's chagrin Fate is also crying, shedding tears of his own as the cage starts darkening and her vision fades to black. A small sob leaves her useless throat as the gambler embraces her tightly.

"Shauna, I know that you are in a great deal of pain right now and that all you want to do is just let go and surrender to death, but if you give up now everything will end and we are never going to see our mate again."

Vayne whimpers and when she opens her eyes again there is no gambler wearing expensive suits and a cowboy hat in front of her anymore, but only a younger version of herself pinning her with wet innocent eyes brimming with tears, while stroking her face.

"Do you remember Quinn's voice? Hm? She was usually mocking us, but sometimes she would call our name softly while we were in pain or injured and our wounds would suddenly hurt just a little bit less as if her voice could magically mend our bodies."

Vayne nods and Little Shauna continues as the scenery starts disappearing and tendrils of darkness start wrapping around their throats.

"And she is so kind, remember? She is supposed to hate us, but she fed us with her blood when we were hungry and even let us sleep next to her on a few rare occasions. Do you remember that, Shauna? Do you still remember our mate's warmth?"

-Yes-

Little Vayne climbs on her lap and stands on her toes until the huntress can peer into her smothering ruby eyes and then smiles weakly.

"You and I have lost everything, Shauna. Everything important, everything we ever loved, cherished and cared about was ruthlessly snatched away from us. Taken by the cruel hand of fate and its pawns, be it humans, beasts, dream demons or vampires."

-I know-

The child's eyes are consuming her, they are so innocent and sorrowful and even when the tears start rolling down her cheeks Shauna can still see the sparks of determination burning brightly inside those young shining pools of crimson.

" Quinn is the only one we have left. Please don't let this world also take her away from us. Please, don't let them snatch away our important person. I am begging you, please tell me what did you inscribe on our own flesh and bones?"

Shauna whimpers and as the child starts shaking her motionless body, she starts crying, not because she can't even see a thing anymore or because her final strength is leaving her, but because a scene starts playing in front of her eyes and she doesn't want to see her Birdie in pain.

**/**_Quinn is laying on her bed, wailing and Shauna snaps her fangs and gazes at the woman that she now knows that will never become her mate, and as the bone start dancing across her skin and her flesh starts parting under its pressure, Shauna does something she have never done after her parent's death. She prays._

_She prays for the spirits of the Freljord to save her partner instead of herself and the Eye of Shurima to grant Nocturne safe passage into her mind. She begs the Trader deities of Biljewater to chain the Specter inside her soul and urges the shades of the Shadow Isles to come out of their watery graves and crawl under her skin dragging the Eternal Nightmare with them, and above all else she prays for the scout._

_She prays for Quinn's safety and the success of the ritual and as she lays next to the dying woman and she pulls the scout closer, Shauna raises her eyes towards the ceiling and prays that if no one up there likes her enough to help her save her mate, that they at least hate her enough to want to see Nocturne defile her mind. And then the shade suddenly breaks into her mind severing her connection with the outside and as her consciousness begins to fade and her eyes land on the sleeping scout, the symbol is infused with the power of a single word and Shauna's smile suddenly turns into an expression of pure horror._**/**

Vayne is choking.

"Hope.. Hope that everyone hates me, Hope that this world wants to see me suffer. Hope that Nocturne will find me more appetizing than Quinn and desire to break my mind instead of her own. Hope that even though I have never casted a single spell in my whole life, I will somehow be able to save my mate."

The adult dies, the child hugs the motionless body and then dies too and not even a heartbeat later Shauna opens her eyes only to stare at the smiling visage of her adult self. She blinks, lowering her eyes to gaze into her tiny arms still wrapped around the shade and then blinks as Older Shauna leans in and kisses her cheek softly.

"You did it."

"How? I was the injured one and you were the child, that's can't be possible."

The shade just shrugs and someone outside of the Box starts screaming and then another one and another one and Shauna is about to go deaf when the shade casually waves towards the door and the cage is suddenly engulfed in silence. Shauna slowly removes her hands from the specter, carefully avoiding looking into the vampire's flickering eyes until her back is safely pressed against the opposite wall of her prison.

"You are not me and you are not Nocturne either. Who the fuck are you?"

And when her older self raises her eyes and their gazes meet, the fake vampire starts laughing softly and even though the sound doesn't resemble the Eternal Nightmare's mad crackle and even thought the laughter is not quite sinister, Shauna finds it equally terrifying. But the laughter dies quickly and the smile shrinks and when Vayne finally gazes into the creature wearing her face, her older self is gazing at her with soft red eyes.

"I have many names uttered in countless languages, but for you I am Hope."

"…So, you are the Dice?"

The creature gestures for her to move closer and Vayne silently obeys until she abruptly finds herself seated on the specter's lap with her cheek pressed against her older self's shoulder and the creature's arms carefully wrapped around her waist.

"Maybe. It doesn't really matter, you only need to know that I will keep you safe until your friends rescue you and then we will part."

The shade is warm, but Vayne involuntary shivers and her mouth opens before she even realizes it.

"…Why?"

The creature pauses for a moment and then starts rubbing small soothing circle's around the child's trembling back although somewhat awkwardly.

"You want me to take residence in your mind?"

"No."

The child shakes its head vigorously and the creature just smiles at her kindly.

"Then, I won't, I promise"

Shauna closes her eyes, she knows that she has to keep pressuring the shade for answers, but the woman is warm and soft and her mind hasn't rested for what feels like decades.

"What I really meant to ask you was, why are you helping me?"

Her eyelids are heavy and her mind is foggy, but the woman remains silent and Vayne feels that that in itself is some kind of answer. A sudden realization suddenly crosses her mind as the cage starts fading and her consciousness slowly disappears.

"Ah.. I see, Hope. That was also the name of my late mother, wasn't it? It's been so long since I last thought of that life. So.. I am probably wrong."

The woman just smiles and presses another kiss on the unconscious child's forehead before her gaze travels across the burning walls of the cage only to stop at a faint glimmer of sunlight slipping through a small crack near the ceiling and her smile widens.

"Try getting some sleep, Sweetie. Your friends are coming to save you."

And then Quinn wakes up and she gasps, breathing heavily and even though Soraka is right in front of her, frantically asking for her wellbeing while almost having a heart attack the scout ignores her. Because she is pretty sure that the fake vampire has just met her gaze and she can still remember the woman's knowing smile when her eyes landed on the sleeping child as if the creature has somehow given her her blessing and Quinn still can't stop trembling because her arm is currently bleeding and there is a single word carved in her flesh, written in messy crimson letters. A single four letter word holding the key to Shauna's freedom. Hope. The scout is already out of the infirmary and halfway to Ryze's study before Soraka can even register her absence.

* * *

**Writer's Note: Aaand that's the second part of chapter twenty five and it is still double the size of a regular chapter, sigh. Now I mentioned before that a story can take multiple paths, that's both the most frustrating and the most enjoyable part of writing for me and I usually end up writing similar story setting just to explore those other paths I avoided in my last writing attempt, but I usually keep some of the elements I really like. A good example of discarded ideas in this chapter would be Hope. **

**We don't really know the origin of the shade antagonizing Nocturne, so Hope could be a forgotten god that listened to Vayne's prayers and took pity on her, or maybe the Dice is actually a self-aware magical symbol trying to break the shackles bestowed to it by humanity, offering Shauna shelter in exchange for her services in order to free itself. Vayne could become a really dangerous individual if she had those kind of allies at her disposal and then we would have a lot of political games with nations trying to win her favor and her feud with Jarvan.**

** Or Hope could be something Vayne created while going mad from the pain and tortures and we would then realize that Shauna imagined the whole exchange between them. Or some other parts of Shauna started changing place with her, suiciding in order to keep the original Shauna alive, chipping her soul every time one of them died and so Hope and Little Shauna are two of those parts. Little Shauna would then symbolize Vayne's lost innocence or maybe the part of her that tries to connect with people and Hope would then be her compassion and protective nature and Vayne would lose those qualities forever and awaken from her slumber as a coldblooded murderer****. Or you know, Hope could just be Nocturne playing some twisted mind game with her. And that's only the ideas I can still remember right now, almost a week after writing this chapter. I think there was also something about Zilean and Diana... Choices, choices**


	26. Chapter 26

Thump

Imagine dying, drowning in a frigid ocean of ice-cold water, fighting for your life as the merciless torrents of darkness pull you under the rippling surface, the blurry dot of the sun covered in a thick veil of moisture, slowly disappearing under the waves, as your screams escape your lips in the forms of bubbles.

Your body slowly shutting down.

Thump

You are trying to breath, but all you manage to do is fill your lungs with even more inky black water. You keep calling for help, but no one ever rushes to your side and soon your vision finally caves in and disappears, leaving you in complete and utter darkness.

Thump

Your heartbeat slows down, your tears get mixed with the salty water as your consciousness takes a back seat and your toes finally reach the bottom of the abyss.

Th... ump

Now try imagining the panic, the despair, the sheer terror getting a hold of your brain, overwhelming your other senses as you are silently floating above the dark abyss, limbs heavy and eardrums pumped full of water, waiting for the inevitable last traces of oxygen to leave your system and turn you into a hollow husk, devoid of life.

Th… ump

Th... ump

Unfortunately that dreaded moment of nonexistence never seems to arrive as your violent departure from the world of the living never actually happens. You are trapped in the last moments of your death and you keep straggling, choking under the waves as you wait for a heartbeat and then another one and it's only more than six heartbeats later when you finally realize that you are somehow still conscious. Blind, deaf and paralyzed and yet somehow still breathing, floating lifelessly inside this eternal veil of darkness.

Th.. u.. mp

Th.. ump

Th.. u.. mp

The seconds keep passing by, the minutes turn to hours and you can't even raise your eyes in order to gaze at the moist black sky spreading above you head, and yet you are still alive after an hour and then two more and even though your fingers are twitching and the water is flooding through your nostrils your heart is still mysteriously capable of sustaining your pitiful existence, the lonely sound it produces the only thing that keeps you company as you keep floating around your black watery grave.

For several lifetimes, you are mentally screaming for help inside your sunless cage.

Thump

Th.. ump

Th.. u.. mp

Th…. u.. mp

The concept of time has no place here. You are mute, deaf, blind and paralyzed and your brain is currently out of commission, crippled by the enormous lack of oxygen, denied to you by your terrible predicament, but you are still alive, choking on your last breath, but alive nevertheless and conscious, forced to continue existing under the blurry dark waves. And you are crying.

T….

H

U…..

M

P….

...

...

And then the world around you explodes and the water burst into flames. You are trying to scream, but you obviously can't so you just lay in there as the healers start surrounding you and the pain makes you scream inside your head until you finally pass out.

Or at least that's what Vayne experiences when she abruptly returns into the world of the living before again fading back to unconsciousness.

* * *

00000

Voices, soft whispers lazily coiling inside her ears, grudgingly traveling through the thick veil of ever-present darkness stretching in every possible direction, but the vampire just ignores them. Words and speech in general are the tools of the humans you see, they charm and deceive, spiting their honey covered poison, promising love and kindness only to hurt their unsuspecting prey, trapping them in a perverted version of their own fragile dreams. And then they kill them.

The vampire remains still, breathing weakly under the covers, her movements restrained by her blood drenched bandages and the terrible wounds covering her entire body, but Vayne doesn't really mind. She has nowhere else to go, anyway. No place in this world would openly welcome a rabid vampire. Except maybe from the Shadow Isles…

Whispers, more voices, someone is calling her name and warm fingers delicately slip under the covers gently taking a hold of the useless lump of meat that not too long ago Vayne used to consider her dominant right hand.

"Hey, Shauna, it's me again, Quinn. How are you feeling today?"

The vampire ignores her, she continues lying onto the uncomfortable, hard mattress and sweat drenched covers, sneaking a few shallow breaths every now and then every time Quinn leans to press her lips against the shattered digits of her hand.

Her body is heavy, her brain is on fire, her eyes are uselessly moving behind the ragged cover of her blindfold, a precautious measure intended to protect the Night Hunter's sensitive eyes from the painful intrusion of the sunlight. Vayne doesn't really mind the blindfold, in fact she is grateful for it. The soft barrier of the fabric is a nice addition to her current situation, obscuring the form of this cruel world and the scary humans inhabiting it from her tired, dry eyes.

She is mute, weak and blind, but she at least doesn't have to utter her mistress' name, or crawl on her hands and knees and start licking the scout's boots like a obedient dog, trying to please its master, and she certainly prefers to witness this endless pit of darkness stretching around her eyelids instead of having to witness the sadistic smile that is no doubt blooming on the soft lips of the human she once used to call her mate.

"Not much of a talker, huh? Well, it's ok I guess. You always seemed to prefer actions over words, so how about a goodnight hug?"

The scout pauses if only for a heartbeat before giving Shauna's hand a small squeeze.

"Or maybe you would prefer a goodnight kiss instead? hmm? how about it, Shauna?"

A small chuckle, a mischievous smile, a smirk fading in a matter of seconds after her implication is left unanswered. Quinn tries to smile, but she fails miserably and she sighs as her thumb starts rubbing small soothing circles around the scarred, bandaged palm of her vampire.

"Will you please talk to me, today? Just a few words? J-Just call my name, it doesn't have to be anything important… Please?"

Shauna almost starts laughing, or crying, actually for there isn't much of a difference really, pain and joy have kind of lost their meaning for her after her lovely encounter with the Eternal Nightmare. She contemplates her next move for a few moments until she finally decides that it would probably be wiser for her to remain silent and avoid angering her ruthless mistress. And so she waits in silence, just existing, quivering inside the hospital gown and the crimson bandages and the various plastic tubes and cords feeding her strange transparent chemicals, painfully anchoring her soul to life. The scout sighs again.

"…You aren't going to talk to me, are you?

Of course not, there isn't any plausible way, she is going to speak to her, or Janna or the Summoners or any human for that matter. Her voice is scratchy and wavering, breaking at every breath and there is no way in hell Shauna is going to open her bruised lips and waste her precious life-air in order to converse with her traitorous non-mate. Quinn is just trying to trick her anyway, she is probably going to start hurting her the moment she opens her mouth and starts talking and she will then laugh at her and call her a monster when she had tried confessing to her. Quinn is a human, Shauna is a vampire, it is inevitable really.

A small knock on the door later and a small tired sigh suddenly escapes the scout's mouth and Quinn tries to smile as she carefully leans in and presses one final chaste kiss against the pale, bandaged forehead of the huntress.

"I have to go now, but I promise that I will come back to visit you soon and spend even more time with you. I might even bring along Lux and Ahri and then the four of us are going to play cards and exchange stories."

Silence

"Heh, I know what you must be thinking. But Quinn, Luxana is just a sheltered lightmage, what kind of stories is she going to spin to us? If only you knew how mistaken you are, dear Shauna! Lux's life might seem dull and boring from an outsider's perspective, but that's wrong, and you are going to change your mind the moment she starts weaving her stories, trust me on that one. She's been in some really interesting situations, I tell you! Would you like that, Shauna? Would you like to hear about our dear Lux's marvelous adventures?"

Silence, silence and heavy whizzing, another knock breaks the fragile veil of silence and Quinn sighs again. She begrudgingly moves towards the open door and the impatient nurse gesturing for her to approach, annoyance clearly written on her face.

"Visiting hours are over, miss Quinn. We've talked about you breaking curfew before, do I really have to inform the Kinkou ninja?"

Quinn has half a mind to yell at the annoying woman, but grudgingly shakes her head and admits her defeat. She pauses to spare a last glance at the emotionless visage of the huntress before raising her eyes in order to meet the nurse's impatient gaze.

"Come on Sal, Shauna is scared and in pain and we both know that I am only trying to help her recover, so what's the problem?"

The elderly woman grunts in acknowledgment before carefully closing the door, obscuring the vampire inside, she produces a key out of her pocket and then locks the door before fixing the Demacian with a furious glare.

"Look, Quinn, I know that your intentions are pure and all, but I can still remember what happened during your last unauthorized nighttime visit and I can still recall the image of miss Shauna repeatedly slamming her head against the wall of her chambers, trying to earn your forgives for carelessly touching your hand without permission. Akali was forced to sedate her in order to stop her from injuring herself any further and Soraka had almost had a heart attack when she arrived and found Shauna in such a delirious state."

The scout flinches, the image of Vayne mutely asking for forgiveness, hands turned into fists, forehead dripping with warm blood, still relatively vivid in her own mind. She nods and she doesn't even realize it when she abruptly leaves the hospital's premises, her feet leading her towards the Demacian section of the living quarters. A moment later and a blurry flurry of feathers and Valor is perched on top of her shoulder guard, rubbing his head against her cheek while cooing soothingly.

It takes a bit of time for Quinn to actually react to his presence. The scout pauses mid stride and then blinks a couple of times before her hand finally starts rising, gliding through the air only to stop against her partner's folded wings, affectionately stroking the eagle's feathers. But even though her hands are occupied and the ghost of a smile starts tuging at the corners of her lips when Valor starts cawing appreciatively, Quinn's mind is still troubled and her thoughts are gloomy and all over the place, so she doesn't recognize Lux when the lightmage suddenly approaches her from behind and embraces and in fact her mind doesn't even register the noblewoman's presence.

Because Quinn can still remember the panicked expression of the injured vampire when Shauna accidently touched her hand and because the huntress looks cold and pale and distant and she doesn't even look at her anymore or react to her voice. And because Shauna hasn't really tried to communicate with anyone since that horrifying incident almost four days ago.

* * *

**I like this one**


	27. Chapter 27

"That's it"

The scout smiles weakly, she presses herself against the vampire, brushing her bloody lips against the huntress' painting them crimson and Shauna just whimpers, trapped inside the arms of her beautiful captor. Quinn pauses for a moment in order to give the vampire a little peck on the lips before speaking in a calm, soothing tone.

"Shhh… It's ok. I am not going to hurt you, I am your mate remember?"

Shauna doesn't answer of course, but she flinches and obediently lowers her head and opens her mouth all the while looking at her submissively, allowing the scout to feed her even more of the delicious crimson nectar that prolongs her torment. She swallows a sip, and then another one and she can just drink a bit more before finally releasing a weak, pitiful sound that makes Quinn's eyes well with tears. The scout instantly stops restraining her and moves away as the vampire starts sobbing silently, burying her head into her pillow.

"A-are you in pain? Did I give you too much again?"

It is a legitimate question really, since Quinn has made that particular mistake before, forcing the injured and still mute huntress to consume larger quantities of blood than her fragile body could handle. The results were horrific. Intense pain, severe bleeding, violent convulsions and choked screams resulting in Shauna losing consciousness for hours or even entire days, trapped in the horrifying landscape of her nightmares. Yet Shauna has never seemed to care enough to alert the scout upon reaching her limit so every new meal is usually accompanied by a constant feeling of dread and anxiety for the younger woman.

Wails, sobs, more silent whimpering and Quinn is carefully laying next to her, pulling her vampire closer, letting the Night Hunter rest her head against her chest, fingers dancing over the poor creature's fair features, stroking her cheeks, head and even her hair while humming to her soothingly, whispering little nothings.

"What's wrong? You usually let me feed you until I decide that you've had enough or you start having a seizure. What's different this time?"

The vampire starts coughing, she then takes a few quick breaths but remains silent, pressing herself against the warm scout and that's another oddity. Shauna would usually remain still after one of their feeding sessions. Cold, motionless, unresponsive as if trying to make her tormentor lose interest in her lest she has to suffer some terrible form of punishment, so Vayne's current behavior is uncharacteristic to say the least.

"What's wrong, Shauna? Please tell me, what's scaring you?"

Quinn waits patiently, dexterous fingers now moving towards the scarred trembling back and the thick scarlet bandages covering the back of the vampire, rubbing small circles against the bruised and injured flesh. Another sob and then a sniffle, Shauna opens her mouth as if to answer, a soft weak croak of a sound barely escaping her lips before her lips close again and her body stiffens almost the same exact moment when someone knocks on the door.

Quinn suddenly stiffens she tenderly wraps one hand around the vampire and reaches for her crossbow, aiming its crosshairs straight at room's entrance and the mysterious visitor unnerving her weakened savior. Unfortunately the ranger doesn't have the time to ponder the possibilities of the stranger's identity since it is only a matter of seconds before the doorknob abruptly twists and the door slowly swings open revealing non other that the Exemplar of Demacia, Jarvan Lightshield the fourth himself. The prince pauses and then blinks, blue eyes calmly staring into the agitated expression of the Demacian ranger and the loaded crossbow aimed at his face.

"Quinn? What's wron-"

*Thack

A crossbow bolt embeds itself next to the Prince's and the Exemplar of Demacia scoffs, grimacing in annoyance.

"That's not funny, Quinn. It seems I would have to order you to lower your crossbow. I though that you of all people would know better than pointing a weapon at your future king."

Vayne keeps sniffling, head still pressed against the crook of the scout's throat, trembling scarred fingers coiling around the hem of the ranger's shirt holding it for dear life and the Prince attempts to approach them when another bolt instantly flies toward his face, grazing the ornate crown on his head before impaling itself on the wall behind him.

"Don't come any closer, you've hurt her enough already."

Jarvan blinks, he pauses staying relatively still for a moment all the while eyeing the scout warily before his gaze finally settles back to Vayne and he sighs in defeat before raising his hands in surrender.

"Ok, Quinn I can see what set you off and why you would be so angry with me, but you have to understand why I did it. Shauna was surely going to hurt somebody and I was forced to contain her in order to avoid her hurting innocent civilians and while I admit that her treatment was a bit uncivilized at times I can assure you that the final results were completely satisfactory and beneficial for all of us."

Her dominant hand is trembling, her lips are forming a thin line, the wounded creature in her arms is sobbing quietly, sweating bullets and Quinn can't help but want to murder the pompous bastard of a heir, but she somehow manages to contain her rage even for the time being. Quinn's amber eyes narrow dangerously as her mind starts pondering the words of the sadistic monarch.

"Satisfactory? How so? You took an innocent child and turned it into your own twisted puppet before unleashing it on your enemies!"

Her voice is harsh, her words venom and Vayne quivers uncomfortably until the softhearted scout starts caressing her head and hair bringing her some semblance of safety. The future king of Demacia just stares at her annoyed before he starts speaking in a calm measured voice brimming with authority.

"You make me look like a villain, scout. Most people would have slain the demon spawn the moment they laid eyes on it, but I spared her, I trained her and I even raised her to be the fierce warrior that she is today. I know I might have been a bit harsh at times, but that's life and in the end both of us gained something from our little transaction. Demacia gained a new champion to fight her glory, the world gained a new defender against the dark forces of the Shadow Isles and Shauna found a new goal in life by exterminating the filthy abominations that is her kind. "

No, no, no, no, this is wrong, this is too much. There is no possible way this person can be considered a human being, or the future king of a country for that matter. The prince is cruel, twisted, a rotten soul hidden inside a shell of gold and precious gems, encased in the colors of justice. How could she be so blind before? She wonders. How did she fail to see the beast hidden under the skin of this man, proudly following him to battle. Vampires and specters are not the real monsters Quinn suddenly realizes. No, that title is conserved for those wicked creatures called humans.

"And traumas, countless traumas and mental scars she will never be free of."

She spats and the prince pauses for a moment before nodding, and there is a flicker of sorrow hidden deep inside the fierce aquamarine prison of his eyes before he quickly dismisses it with a shrug and a tired sigh.

"Maybe, but Shauna had to be taught discipline or we were risking the safety and wellbeing of the citizens."

The Prince smiles, the vampire whimpers and Quinn's finger starts pulling the trigger of her crossbow, bolt aimed straight for the Exemplar's forehead, but the heir is not done quite yet, five more words escape his lips before the ranger finally decides to silence him. Forever.

"It had to be done."

Quinn grits her teeth, she opens her mouth to retort and then abruptly freezes, her mind suddenly overwhelmed by countless blurry images of blood, gore and despair and the heart-shattering screams of a little girl ringing clearly in her ears. Shauna.

"Just fucking die already."

The scout roars as she unloads every single one of her crossbow bolts into the smirking visage of the Demacian royalty, but the bolts just stop mid flight, harmlessly suspended in the air by the powerful ethereal magic of an awestruck Janna.

The prince just smiles and reaches for something behind his back before presenting them with a single white rose, which he then proceeds to place on top of the vampire's nightstand.

"Tell Vayne I said hi and please give her my best wishes."

And then just like that with a small smile and a spring on his step he is gone, leaving her with a silent Vayne and a confused windmage and more boiling anger than Quinn has ever thought possible, and Shauna isn't trembling or crying anymore and she is in fact completely motionless, so Quinn normally assumes that Shauna has in fact fainted, but the vampire's eyes are still wide open under the tearstained bandages and there is an entirely new kind of emotion slowly brewing inside the depths of the huntress' now muddy brown eyes.

Hate, in its most pure, primal form, uncontrollable hate, enough to drown the entire world in a sea of fire.


	28. Chapter 28

Nighttime, the hour of predators and shadows and wandering creatures of darkness. A lone figure is currently standing on top of a tall building overlooking the infirmary, gazing down at the magnificent gardens and the soft blanket of the snow choking the grounds of the Institute, brown eyes lost in though and scarred body wrapped in tattered bandages.

Serenity, small already melting snowflakes get stuck on the figure's ebony hair littering them with frigid droplets of water and tiny pieces ice. The pale light of the moon shines brightly on this pathetic creature all the while the wind is howling around it mercilessly whipping its body and yet the creature ignores it as if it can't even feel a thing or as if it finds the lack of shelter irrelevant, unnecessary.

"SHAUNA!"

Another figure suddenly rashes into the scene, a young woman dressed in the golds and blues of the pompous country of Demacia, possessing eyes of pure amber. The soldier dashes around the bushes and flowers clearly searching for something important, frantically repeating that single word. The creature on the rooftop just ignores her.

"Cawwww!"

Suddenly another creature makes its presence known, an enormous avian, strong and proud gliding effortlessly among the snowflakes whilst ignoring the fierce wind and the low temperature of the night, feathers already wet from the tears of the sky. The eagle caws once again and then starts circling above the wounded vampire and Vayne hisses in annoyance as the human ranger whistles, causing the avian to land on the rooftop in front of her eyeing her accusingly, while the scout races for the staircase.

A moment of silence ensues as bird and woman proceed to stare down on each other like wild beasts fighting for dominance, ready to pounce at their respective opponent. Shauna hisses lowly, small flickering embers dancing inside the thirsty earth of her irises as Valor perches his head and ruffles his feathers staring at her defiantly. Quinn arrives a moment before they actually go at it, pale and out of breath, body hunched and palms resting on her kneecaps while trying to force some oxygen back in her lungs. Her amber gaze is full of rage and other conflicting emotions swirling under the surface. Sadness, panic, exhaustion, happiness, worry, those are all the feelings Shauna manages to decipher before the scout suddely takes a step forward and hugs her tightly.

"Thank god, you are alright."

Alright, Vayne is pretty sure that she is in fact not actually _alright_, but she decides to hold her tongue and wait for the human to calm down before pointing that out, or at least that was her plan until Quinn abruptly grabs her shoulders and starts shaking her making her whole body quake violently.

"What's wrong with you? How could you just up and leave your room when you can barely stand in the first place? Are you trying to make me worry to death? Because if so it's fucking working!"

Vayne remains silent for a moment eyeing the scout silently, carefully asserting the situation through the flaring intensity of those beautiful amber eyes and the scout's angry expresion. She silently raises her hand and waits, fingers suspended at the level of the younger woman's eyes until Quinn blinks in confusion.

"What are you doing?"

The vampire doesn't even pause before answering, the words escaping her lips to dance in the frigid air of the night.

"Letting you break some of my bones in order to appease you. Why, would you prefer stabbing me?"

The scout blinks, horror and wonder overwhelming her being in less than a heartbeat and it isn't even because Shauna is still treating her like an enemy. No it is because that's the first time she has heard Shauna's voice in more than a week and it is as neutral and cold as her gaze and the snowflakes swirling around them. The scout sighs before carefully grabbing the bandaged appendage and pressing a soft lingering kiss on each bandaged finger, eyes pinned on the muddy eyes of the huntress the whole time as if searching for some kind of answer.

"Did I hurt you yesterday?"

Her voice is low and gentle but the vampire just stares at her coldly while shaking her head.

"What about the day before yesterday, did I try hurting you in any way?"

Another mute reply and Quinn almost flinches when the vampire silently removes her hand from her own, but he ranger just puts a smile on her lips and continues anyway.

"Have I actually tried tormenting you since the day you woke up from your slumber?"

"No. Not **yet**."

Quinn nods and takes a deep breath before resuming in that same sweet, soothing tone she usually reserved for when Valor somehow injured himself while hunting.

"Then why are you assuming that I am going to start hurting you today, or at all anyway?"

A small pause, a glazed glare, cold brown eyes staring into oblivion. The smallest whisper finally escapes the vampire's throat booming inside the scout's heart with the intensity of a thunderstorm. The two of them remain silent until the Night Hunter finally decides to break the silence.

"I said because you are a human."

Quinn just nods, her thoughts shattering like gazelles in the presence of a lion. How can she possibly answer to that accusation, how can she possibly deny the part her species has played in the suffering of the woman standing in front of her? She can't and both her and Shauna know it.

"Caw"

Quinn blinks, glancing curiously towards Valor, but the avian isn't looking at her anymore. No, the eagle seems to be far more interested in the sickly green light and the ghostly form emerging from the most distant part of the garden and Quinn doesn't have to glance at it twice in order to recognize the ancient deceased warrior.

"Kalista."

The specter doesn't respond to her and it remains silent for the longest of times, standing eerie inside the blizzard, ghostly blue eyes silently staring at them through the veil of death and Quinn can't help but shiver as the specter slowly raises a single incorporeal limb in order to point at their direction.

No, not actually ther direction, Vayne's, Quinn suddenly realizes and the scout's heart sinks inside her chest as her eyes follow the trail of the offending appendage only to come face to face with the motionless visage of the Night Hunter.

*Shhhhhhccccrrrrriiiink

An ethereal spear slides out of the warrior-ghost's ribcage, spectral light dimming inside the blizzard only to flare with blinding intensity a moment later and when Quinn finally manages to regain her eyesight, the ghost is gone, there is the black shaft of a spear buried beneath the snow and Vayne is laying on the ground unconscious.


	29. Chapter 29

The vampire growls, she stares into the emotionless ethereal eyes of the spectral spear wielder and scowls in annoyance, their bodies the only visible thing in a sea of endless darkness and Vayne has finally accumulated enough experience with the supernatural to understand when someone has forcefully dragged her inside the sanctuary of her own mind.

"You didn't have to knock me out in order to talk to me, Spear of Vengeance."

The ghost pauses, the shadows starts swirling, an echo.

"We know."

The specter talks, but her lips aren't moving, her voice reverberating with the echo of a thousand lost souls, small wisps of smoke and undead essence lazily spinning around the specter's flickering body mixing with the darkness surrounding them.

"_But_ conversing is so _much easier_ when talking to _your soul_ directly, Night Hunter. _The lips can lie_, the words _can deceive_, the eyes _can hide_ the nature of a traitorous _monster_, but the soul… the soul_ is always_ whispering to us, _revealing the truth_."

The huntress nods and the warrior falls silent like the hearts of her prey before her merciless spears, patiently waiting for the fallen noble's reply. Time is meaningless for the deceased after all and Vayne waits for what feels like an eternity before she finally decides to break the ominous silence.

"You brought me here to talk, so either talk to me or be gone, spirit. I have more important business to attend to than satisfying the whims of a wraith."

Kalista remains still for what feels like decades, incorporeal form phasing in and out of existence, cold unblinking eyes staring emotionlessly towards the agitated predator until the voice suddenly returns, uttering sharp, venomous words and shifting syllables, echoing from every twisting shadow and flickering ghost-smog, drowning the vampire in a sea of reverberating screamed whispers.

"We see… We can see a lot of things, _vampire-huntress_, things hidden from the sight _of mortal eyes_. Yes… We can see the hunter becoming the _Prey_ and the prey becoming the _pet_ until it turns into a ravenous _beast _and devours_ its master_…"

"…The start of a _war_, the end of a country, the _betrayed_ becoming _the betrayer_, countless souls embracing the afterlife, sent to hell by your own two bloodstained _hands_ wrapped around their throats. _We see_ the end of the _beast_ that loved _the lamb_ and the lamb that protected its _kin-killer_"

Vayne sighs, the first signs of a headache already making their appearance, another practical disadvantage of having a conversation inside your very own mind. The dull throb behind her eyes quickly evolving into painful jabs under her forehead and a hammer between her ears. Tsk.

"The Hunter has already been the prey and the beast and the pet and a fucking scapegoat for more filthy humans than she can even care to remember, so excuse me if I don't really care about the consequences of my actions. And if my quest for revenge is destined to start a war or utterly destroy a corrupted country that torments its own subjects, so be it. The beast as you call it certainly doesn't give a fuck about the lives of the scumbags that tormented her for so many years."

The specter hums in thought as if the reanimated ether can still remember the habits of the flesh and the mannerisms of its tragically lost life and then the reverberating voice returns, harsh and venomous echoing from every shifting shadow, carrying with it the dry whisper of undeath.

"Yes, that is true, but_ the huntress_ still cares for _the woman_ and the bird _and the fox_ she spent so much time _with_, and the children of _man that have yet to lose their heart and innocence_. The huntress protected them in the not too distant past from the beasts that _govern the night_ and she still refuses to leave them in the clutches of monsters."

Vayne just scoffs at her, scowling at the swirling mass of darkness covering her mindscape until the deafening silence of the ghost starts irritating her, forcing her to answer even if it's just to get this meeting over with so she can finally start plotting the end of the bastard prince's wretched bloodline.

"That was a long time ago, specter, long before Nocturne's visions reminded me of the cruelty of mankind and the tortures I had to suffer in the hands of the royal guard. I am done serving humans now and Jarvan is going to get what's coming to him, **and I am warning you, spirit**, don't even try stopping me. I have no qualms about putting you to rest once and for all."

The specter pauses, the vampire stops and time seems to freeze as cyan lifeless orbs suddenly meet cold, muddy brown, but the visage of the ghost remains emotionless like always. Kalista's face is a mask carved in stone, hard, distant, inhuman, shaped by the touch of death and the test of the ages. Irisless, flickering gaze staring into the eyes of eternity.

"And yet your soul tells us otherwise. You are as much of a killer as you are a protector and you can both become a _murderer_ of saints _or a guardian of beasts_. There is enough _hate _inside you to end _the world of _man and enough love to preserve and even guard it. Enough darkness inside your soul _to consume you_ and enough light for you to maintain your sanity. You are _truly_ a monster among us _ghosts_ and walking nightmares."

The scene seems to dim and the vampire just sighs, turning its back to the ancient spectral warrior, but Kalista is suddenly in front of her, pale, irisless eyes pinning her in place with silent intensity.

"Do not misunderstand our _intentions,_ _Night Hunter_ We are not _here_ to stop you, on the contrary. We would like to pledge our allegiance to _you_ and devote ourselves to your cause. _So_ stop planning the downfall of a _kingdom_ and let the punishment _of the_ _guilty to us_, lest you really want to _become_ the beast the foolish humans claim _you to be_."

The vampire pauses for only a moment and then sighs before smiling at the ghost. Shauna takes a step forward and smirks right in front of the undead warrior's face, flickering hues of red dancing inside the cloudy depths of her brownish eyes. Brown-red lakes filled with death, pain and insanity radiating murder.

"Well, maybe they were right about me in the first place, maybe I was a beast all along and I prefer drowning the whole world in blood and starting a genocide. **Maybe**, I don't feel like following your advice, specter."

A flicker of green, a shift in the shadows and suddenly the voice of the Lady of Vengeance returns, but something feels wrong. No, something is definitely wrong and horribly so, because the echoes of the dead aren't dark or threatening anymore, but sad and woeful, almost mournful.

" …Then _the betrayed_ will become the _betrayer_, my spear will one _day _find its _way_ into your black heart and your soulmate will _die knowing_ that she was the _one responsible_ for the deaths of everyone she _ever held dear_. The ranger _will also_ follow the path of blood and carnage and the _light of_ her souls _will disappear_. _Forever_."

The vampire nods, brown eyes sinking into cyan pools of lighting with an intensity that would make the skin of even the dead crawl and then she smiles wickedly, raising her hands in defeat, but even though the red in her eyes begins to fade and her gesture is one of peace and goodwill her voice is still carrying the chill of the grave and her smile is brimming with the promise of endless suffering.

"I see, so it seems that I've lost this time. Please, make them suffer, make them curse the moment they were born and make their screams give even Thresh nightmares worse than Nocturne's. Or else I will do it myself and then come after you, and please believe me when I am saying that I will be putting a silver tipped bolt between the eyes of every undead monstrosity in the Shadow Isles and then set the whole continent on fire."

The vampire's smirk widens and it is now threatening to spill out of her face as her eyes narrow dangerously.

"So, do you still want to assume my mission?"

The specter pauses for just a moment and then nods, ethereal spears suddenly bathing the whole world in pale green light as the darkness abruptly begins to fade.

"_We have no mercy_."

The vampire nods.

"Then claim your prize, oh my sweet Lady of Vengeance."

But the spirit has already began walking away, darkness and fog parting in front of it like twirling curtains drawn wide open by the invisible hands of ghosts, the eerie glow of light disappearing completely, leaving the vampire in complete and utter darkness.

The voice returns one last time, an airy whisper, softer than the breath of a newborn before finally fading and then Kalista is gone and Vayne is standing alone among the shadows.

"_Your soul_ is already _bonded with another one_, huntress, so I can't _make you_ my Oathsworn. _Her_ bond _preserves you_."

Vayne nods before sighing in annoyance, her gaze darting among the fading shadows and the shifting fog of her mindscape.

"You could have at least woken me up before leaving…."

* * *

**Writer's note: The reason for all the italics is that I tried to indicate the reverberating parts in Kalista's speech pattern, maybe I shouldn't have and I will be deleting them later if I realize that the text is tiring the eyes of the reader. I am going to end the story in the following one or two chapters and I am also considering of writing a kind of dark path spin off where Vayne chooses to take her revenge and starts wrecking things, buuuut I will have to fix the older chapters first and that reminds me of all the disappearing sentences from then I first joined ff. Soooo we will see. The story also needs more angst, could you guys please kill Vayne for me? Maybe make a Summoner control Quinn or something and shoot her with a crossbow? And maybe Shauna is pregnant with Valor's child... Hey stop looking at me like that! I am just throwing in ideas, I am seriously trying to help you guys.  
**


	30. Chapter 30

A small round room illuminated by the pale blue light of small magical spheres hovering lazily mere inches beneath the ceiling, the agitated murmuring of men and women of various ages and ethnicities gathered around a round stone table decorated with mystical symbols and runes of power. The tense forms of the hooded Summoners suffocating inside their ornate robes and cloaks, humming in though as the minutes keep ticking by.

A sudden sound, an echo of undeath, the air starts shifting and green fog abruptly engulfs the whole chamber as Kalista, the Spear of Vengeance suddenly makes her appearance, spectral weapon clenched in her hand and irisless eyes brimming with eerie intelligence. A few Summoners stiffen, some of them even going as far as to gasp and rise from their seats in freight, their gazes locked on the flickering warrior standing before them before the booming voice of the High Summoner suddenly restores order.

"Kalista, did you manage to convince Vayne of entrusting you with her mission? Is your task complete?"

The specter pauses for a moment and then nods, ghostly green eyes still staring at the agitated individuals filling the chamber before her reverberating whispers finally reach the man's ears carrying with them the cold, distant tone of death.

"The pact is made."

Reginald nods once and then pauses, eyes locked on the flickering orbs of the spectral warrior before gesturing towards the runic pedestal standing tall before the spear wielder.

"Then show us."

A heartbeat passes, a calm nod, and then a step forward, ghostly fingers brushing up against the rough exterior of the magical device before the whole room freezes and then fades from existence, champion and Summoners alike disappearing into an intense explosion of faceless voices and blurry images constructed by the very memories and experiences of Kalista.

Abruptly the void stops spinning, the voices stabilize, the blurry figures sharpen and thicken, intricate details starting to show, slipping into the mind-shades like paint on a blank canvas.

_A pale woman covered in bandages, cold brown eyes drained of life staring into oblivion, scarred bruised lips drawn back into a snarl. The mouth opens, the words fill their minds, hate dripping from every letter and syllable like venom off a serpent's tooth._

"_Make them suffer, make them curse the very moment they were born and make their screams give even Thresh nightmares worse than Nocturne's. Or else I will do it myself and then I'll come after you. And please believe me when I am saying that I will be putting a silver tipped bolt between the eyes of every undead monstrosity in the Shadow Isles and lit the whole continent on fire."_

The small newly formed fangs inside the beast's mouth start extending, brown eyes bleeding red as Shauna's smile suddenly turns into a twisted smirk radiating insanity and everyone in the room flinches, silently staring into the cold, merciless eyes of the beast before the scene starts dissolving and the Summoners are suddenly back in the conference room.

A tense silence, visages filled with awe and horror, the scared mumbles of old men corrupted by wealth and power each one of them holding enough influence and magic to level a whole nation, but they are currently frozen, shocked into silence, eyes open wide still staring forward towards the crimson gaze and the sinister smile of the Night Hunter threatening a whole country. Threatening them with war.

Moments pass by before the voice of a Summoner rises into a roar of anger, walls reverberating by the sheer volume of the man's voice, gold and blue robes swirling wildly as the Summoner abruptly stands up.

"The vampire is clearly insane! She threatens the balance of the world and undermines our authority! I suggest we execute her for treason this very instant!"

A few nods of approval coming from the vast majority of Demacian Summoners, loud whispers coming from the Noxian side of the table, a single Shuriman shakes his head in disapproval even as a female Zaunite starts cheering loudly. Kalista remains silent, dark thoughts hidden behind a pair of ghostly flickering eyes, fingers still wrapped around her black spear. She isn't going to let these men harm the vampire, Shauna is currently her Oathsworn even if unofficially and no one, not ever the Summoners that ordered her to aid the Night Hunter in the first place are going to betray one of her Oathsworns without paying it with their lives.

"Suggestion denied."

Reginald booms and the Demacian Summoner can only grit his teeth in frustration.

"Then restrain her and put her in a cell among the other dangerous champions, she is clearly a danger to all of us."

"Also denied, the champions are already nervous after the fiasco with the Eternal Nightmare, some of them even going as far as considering of leaving the Institute and capturing Miss Vayne would only push them towards that decision. Some of them might even start considering us as a threat, mere tyrants imprisoning anyone unsatisfied with their actions and rulings."

The man spares a few more breathes trying to justify his reasoning before finally returning to his seat with a defeated expression and a tired sigh as another Summoner, this one an old Noxian with fierce emerald eyes clears his throat in order to draw the High Summoner's attention.

"So am I correct to assume that we are just going to let the Demacian prince die?"

A small sigh and a nod later coming from the exhausted form of the High Summoner and the whole room erupts in a cacophony of unintelligent buzzing as all the gathered Summoners start striking conversations with their fellow peers all the while the Demacians start shouting curses and profanities.

"Enough! This decision is not negotiable! We will keep providing shelter to the prince for as long as he resides inside the walls of the Institute, but after that he is on his own. None of you is allowed to contact him or summon him for any reason whatsoever and doing so will have grave repercussions. I am going to even go as far as stripping your ranks and imprisoning you in case of you start talking about this matter to your respective kings and political leaders. Am I clear?"

A few nods and muffled murmurs of agreement can be heard as the majority of Summoners start leaving, the spear of Vengeance quickly following behind them ready to deliver death to any wretched oath breaker.

"This isn't right, this filthy beast shouldn't be allowed to touch his highness, prince Jarvan. We are supposed to prevent attacks against the nations and maintain the order. How can we even be considering of abandoning one of our champions?"

Reginald stops in his tracks and then pauses eyeing the young Demacian Summoner with tired eyes filled with wisdom. The lad is young he realizes, too young and sheltered to remember the Ionian Invasion or the chaos of the Rune Wars and even the threat of the black mist and the voidlings, or that Summoners aren't supposed to interfere with the internal conflicts of a country for that matter.

"Tell me lad, can we stop Hecarim's rampages on onshore villages or put a stop to Lissandra's dark machinations? Can we just order Jinx to stop blowing up stuff or restrain her by force inside Piltovian jurisdiction? And what about Singed's terrible concoctions and potions of shadow and death? How can a lowly Summoner force that lunatic to abandon his inhuman research without becoming a target of his vengeance? "

The man opens his mouth ready to no doubt amaze the High Summoner with his reasoning skills before Reginald interrupts him in a heartbeat.

"We can't. We can summon Hecarim on the fields and hope that we have just saved a village, put Lissandra on the same team as Ashe and Leona and hope that their charm and kindness might start rubbing off and in time change the Ice Witch's view of the world or melt her cold heart, but that's the extent of our power. Shoving our nose into Piltovian affairs will just earn their ire and messing with Singed will just anger Zaun or even the mad alchemist himself. You see lad, we are not in control of Valoran, we are merely trying to soften the blows and I personally prefer Kalista taking care of Jarvan instead of Vayne hunting him down across your forts and cities, potentially killing innocent civilians while pursuing him. What about you?"

A mute nod and a moment later the boy is gone and Ashram is alone in the room with two individuals wrapped in summoning robes, calmly making their way towards the exit. The first one takes a slow step forward and then another one dragging his steps as if in thought, head hanging low and shoulders hunched as if carrying the weight of an entire nation. Reginald just pauses to press a reassuring hand on top of the man's shoulder, silently gazing into the old man's wrinkled visage before speaking in a low voice.

"I am sorry, your Majesty. It had to be done."

The man scoffs and then sighs, head rising in order to stare into the High Summoner's eyes, gaze filled with bitterness and pain.

"It is mostly my fault, Ashram. I was too occupied with the affairs of my country to teach my son the importance of kindness, love and mercy. I once caught a glimpse of the things he did to the poor girl during his Judgment and… I can't really blame Shauna for seeking vengeance. Jarvan will have to reap what he sowed, I am afraid."

Jarvan Lightshield the fourth leaves in the next few moments and Reginald is finally alone with the man in the faded blue robes The High Summoner closes the door and makes sure that the silencing spells covering the room are still active before turning to address the robed individual standing mere inches behind him.

"The room is secure and no one from the outside will be able to either enter the room or hear us, Chronokeeper. I would now like to have some answers about why the advice you offered me concerning the Night Hunter. Why did I have to sacrifice Jarvan at all costs? Why am I currently siding with Shauna?"

Zilean nods silently removing his hood only to reveal a tangled mess of pale blue hair and a pair of equally pale, tired brown eyes filled with pain, loss and wisdom. He smiles softly.

"Because it is the best choice available and leads to the best potential outcomes."

Reginald sighs, eyes narrowing dangerously, he takes a deep breath trying to calm his nerves as the age-old wizard smiles at him politely as if he is just an old man gazing into the impatient face of a toddler asking him about the secrets of the universe. And then the smile fades and the mage sighs, pale brown eyes darting around the room as if trying to pierce the very fabric of time and space itself, gazing into horrifying events and alternative timelines, and Ashram has to cough in order to draw the timewizard's attention.

"Oh, I am terribly sorry, my mind seems to wander a lot nowadays."

The old wizard coughs and tries to smile, hiding his sorrow behind the white barrier of his teeth and Reginald just nods absentmindedly. Because he already knows about the terrible ailment tormenting the ancient Urtistan wizard. Chrono-displacia, the forceful detachment of one's consciousness from the present, an unfortunate side effect of delving into the mysterious realm of time magic and divination, forcing the mind to go into a constant state of unrest, eternally stuck between the ripples of past and future lifetimes.

"Where were we? Oh yes, Shauna Vayne, of course. I can't really tell you about that since your actions may threaten the timeline… and I can't tell you about the… No, no I don't want to see that kind of future, well more than I have to anyway… Ah!"

The mage smiles and his whole face brightens as he presses his hand into the runic pedestal and the room explodes.

Different, the experience is completely different from everything he has even seen before, Reginald realizes. Because when other individuals have to anchor their minds into a single scene or moment in their lives, Zilean can experience whole decades in a heartbeat. The images fade and reappear, the blurry shades of people moving faster than his eyes can perceive, screams and whispers merging with the sounds of the background and Ashram can only watch as the memories start replaying themselves time and time again as Zilean tries to navigate towards his goal, swimming through the river of time.

"There!"

Reginald blinks and pauses trying to find his breath and he is pretty sure that he has been screaming the whole time as a single scene starts surfacing, brought to him through the mind of the ancient timewizard.

_The memory shows a duel of some kind, a lone lithe figure with blazing red eyes fighting against an iron behemoth of a man swinging an enormous iron morning star almost as big as his own body, silver tipped bolts riddling his terrifying armor, black blood and foul ichor dripping from the man's wounds._

"Mordekaiser, that's Mordekaiser isn't he? Why is he fighting Vayne?"

"Just keep watching, Ashram. It's a good fight, a bit too bloody maybe and I don't like seeing Shauna in pain, but you have to see this in order to understand her importance."

Mordekaiser swings his giant mace downwards intending to crush the vampire underneath it, but Vayne just tumbles away, even more silver bolts piercing the sinister wrath's armor, crimson red eyes filled with murder.

_The behemoth just scoffs and kicks her away and Vayne starts bleeding, she stumbles fighting tooth and nail against the undead warrior using her now empty crossbow to deflect his mace even as the wooden stock splits and breaks every time it collides with the Iron Revenants weapon. The giant mace hits her body and Vayne bounces in the ground like a ragdoll before colliding with a tree. She remains still after that, arms spread wide and dirty cheek pressed against the tree bark, bloody ribbons slowly rolling down her pale face as the paladin of death approaches her._

"He is just killings her, the Night Hunter is just a mere vampire after all, she has no chance against a monster like the Iron Revenant."

"A mere vampire that lived after facing the Eternal Nightmare inside her very own mindscape and managed to cast the first successful Dice of Fate in more than a century I would like to note. Just keep watching, Summoner."

_And Reginald reluctantly accepts, he silently watches as Mordekaiser tosses Vayne around like a broken toy, swinging his mace with enough force to make the air howl and the earth shatter while the vampire does her best to stay out of the weapons path, diving or limping to safety. And then the reanimated warlord does a terrible mistake, he starts mocking her, talking about how he is going to kill and torture the vampire's mate and Vayne abruptly freezes._

_The images are a jumbled mess of red and black after that but Reginald can still somehow see the bloody hands of the vampire shooting forward, pale knuckles striking the undead juggernaut with enough force to make her bones shatter, crimson twisted flesh glistering with liquid life, raising towards the sky before descending, fluidly diving towards the ancient helmet again and again and again and again. _

_Shauna's blood slowly paints the clearing crimson, black soil turning red as broken fingers somehow form a fist mending in a matter of seconds only to dive back into the battered armor and bent helmet, breaking again upon impact._

_The Iron Juggernaut suddenly roars armored hands crushing the vampire's ribcage making her spit blood and the wrath starts cackling only to stop a moment later when bloody pale fingers suddenly wrap around his forearms keeping them down and the vampire starts crashing its forehead against the deformed red helmet._

_Again and again and again, the image keeps repeating itself for what feels like hours until Mordekaiser stops struggling and the vampire's now crimson hands suddenly wrap around the deformed helmet, jerking it back and forth until she manages to separate his head from the body, black blood spilling from the twisted reanimated body watering the already drenched soil._

_A shade suddenly comes out of the mist and then another one, they place a black crown on top of the vampire's head before bowing in respect as if in the presence of their sovereign and abruptly a whole sea of specters copies their actions, an ocean of lost souls paying their respects to the pale bloody form of the snarling vampire._

"T-That…that's..."

"That's Shauna Vayne, presently known as the Night Hunter and future Queen of the Shadow Isles and also the only reason we can even hope to achieve peace with the damned continent. So tell me Reginald, do you still wish to make an enemy out of this mere vampire?"

The scene starts fading, but Ashram can only keep staring at the crimson-eyed woman and her seemingly endless army of undead, he shakes his head dumbly and Zilean just smiles at him politely, his demeanor obviously cheerful.

"That's what I thought, so let's make sure that Shauna feels welcome here and maybe give her and her girlfriend a few days out of the roster so they can leisurely enjoy themselves. We wouldn't like annoying Shauna now, would we?"

Flashes of crimson and broken bones, the head of a powerful undead warlord separating from his body, countless ghosts bowing before the vampire he almost decided to abandon at the hands of the Demacian Summoners.

Cold ruby eyes staring at him through the sea of specters as if deciding the fate of the entire Institute, fangs glittering in the moonlight.

"Oh gods, I almost sentenced to death the entire Institute."

"Well not all of it, Shauna couldn't really bring herself to kill her friends or her lover, but she certainly ripped Jarvan to shreds… and Xin… and Lucian… and Garen… and Galio, well ripped him to rubbles I guess… and Shyvana… and"

But Reginald isn't even listening to Zilean at this point, the Summoner is currently busy vacating the infirmary from everyone but the scout and giving Vayne the vacations of a lifetime, even going as far as sending her a get-well card and enough flowers to fill her entire chamber.

* * *

**Writer's note: Hello, I only read the chapter three times so there might be even more terrible typos than the last ones. I was kind of tired, but feel free to comment on anything you catch so I can correct it later. **

**The scene with Mordekaiser might be rushed and unnecessary, but I wanted to write about Vayne punching someone to death while using her advanced healing factor for more than four chapters now and I just had to get that out of my system. I would obviously like her to kill Jarvan( and oddly enough malphite) but that would start a war or an international manhunt and make things even more complicated with Vayne's Quinn-blood dependency. **

**Do we capture Quinn and force her to follow her against her will? Does the Institute restrain Vayne and Quinn becomes her kindhearted jailor, feeding her and caring for her or do we just make a miracle happen and Heimer clones Quinn to let Vayne feed off of them, or maybe Kalista's soul-bond sustains her and let's her wage war to her heart's content?**

** Thoughts like these are the reason I didn't just make Vayne become a crazed warmonger and also because that would collide with Quinn's personality. Would Quinn love Vayne if she started murdering her friends in cold blood, would she tried stopping her even if that meant that she would have to kill her? Would Shauna fight back or even kill her by accident resulting in her own death by heartache and starvation?  
**

**No, Vayne is a tragic hero in my book, cold and vicious but also caring and having the conviction to do the right thing when she has to. The very best qualities of a person ironically put into an undead shell, mistreated and mocked by every so-called, virtuous human acting like a complete monster. So I think that putting her in charge of an army of specters and abominations would be interesting since she would then be able to use darkness to preserve peace and everyone would be forced to treat her better :)**

** And also anyone messing with Quinn after that point would have to deal with an undead invasion, Hecarim and Elise, Thresh and all that cool stuff marching under Vayne's orders :))))  
**


	31. Chapter 31

A soft sleepy whisper, the pleasant sound of giggling as she presses her face against her warm pillow and wraps her arms around it. A brushing of fingertips against pale scarred skin, palms resting against her waist and the small of her back as the faintest traces of delicious crimson nectars slips inside her mouth soothing her sore throat. Shauna purrs, a flicker of consciousness illuminating the abyss of her mindscape chasing away the dizziness of sleep and Shauna's heart aches, because Vayne doesn't want to wake up. Oh no, she doesn't want to abandon her soft mattress and warm breathing pillow just to return to the cruel world of reality where everyone despises her and wants to hurt her. She doesn't want to return to the cold confines of her chamber, her lonely hunts, the hateful glances of her not-mate and the mocking laugher of the guards as the iron gauntlets shatter her bones repeatedly.

She's had enough. Enough of the pain and the guilt crippling her already broken spirit, enough of the hate and the insults and the mocking remarks being flung her way. Enough of the solitude and hopelessness, the bitter tears, the lonely road she has to walk as the Night Hunter. She is done with all of those.

Kalista will personally drag the souls of her tormentors to hell or even gift them to the Chain Warden, hell she can even use them as spears and hurl them at her enemies for all the vampire cares, and her mat-Quinn is safe for the time being, but Vayne's very soul is… fractured.

She can feel it in the way her thoughts shift and her emotions change, the flare of anger overwhelming her mind wherever she closes her eyes, the way the color drains from her irises as if to remind her of how broken and lifeless she truly is. To remind her that even her own soul, her very essence itself is fading.

Something inside her psyche has changed since her encounter with the Eternal Nightmare and even though she hates to admit it and the thought itself terrifies her deep inside her Shauna already knows that she is not just injured or weakened. Oh no, she is utterly broken and Shauna can't even think of pulling herself together now that she has confirmed that the scout is alive, safe under the Institute's protection and that her sacrifice wasn't in vain.

Why should she even attempt such a hopeless, dreadful thing anyway? Her family is dead, the once renown Vayne manor is now in ruins, burnt to the ground thanks to some nameless individual setting it ablaze mere days after the king had announced her departure to join the League of Legends, as if the inspiring arsonist wanted to make sure that she will never have a reason to step foot into the glorious capital of Demacia ever again.

He didn't really have to, Vayne didn't have any intention of returning to that horrible city anyway, but the sudden loss of her parental home, the last vestige that reminded of her admittedly short-lived childhood and the peaceful smiles of her parents had shook the young huntress to the core.

Shauna could still remember her reaction, the shock, the grief, the silent tears she had shed while thinking of that house. Her father's study filled with various books and journals written in the tall man's weird crooked handwriting that Vayne still had some trouble understanding. The master bedroom still housing her parent's old faded clothes, a bottle of her mother's favorite perfume there to remind her of their rare outings: the dances, the parties, their occasional walks in the park whenever her father wasn't too busy tending to the crown and its council of sycophants. Vayne would never really forgive them for stealing so much of her father's relatively short time.

Bitter thoughts she admitted, the outings with her parents were not that uncommon, but still there could be so many more! That though alone was infuriating. Aaand she's lost it again without even so much as opening her eyes or realizing that she has regained consciousness. So much for the famous calm composure of the Night Hunter which she'd managed to build and maintain over the countless years she has spend hunting monsters.

The rage consumes her, her throat is aching and Vayne growls, bitter tears already rolling down her cheeks as her fangs start extending inside her mouth as if to remind her that those days are over, that her whole life has once again ended and that she now has no other choice but to continue living like a mindless broken husk or fury, hurting and killing the ones surrounding her in order to stay alive. Like a parasite. Shauna can almost hear Kalista's hollow voice reverberating inside her unstable beastlike brain.

_"We can see the hunter becoming the prey and the prey becoming the pet until it turns into a ravenous beast and devours its master."_

Vayne chokes, her growls turning into soft whimpers as she buries her fangs into her warm fragrant pillow intending to mute her anguished cries of despair and the vampire jolts away in surprise as her pillow suddenly recoils and screams in agony using the voice of the woman she loves.

Her eyes open in an instant, body slumping in a heap on the floor, her mouth still leaking hot blood and Vayne can only stare in horror as Quinn suddenly emerges from beneath the covers, her amber eyes filled with worry, but even more than that, compassion as her hand moves sluggishly, sun-kissed fingers clenching around the red bleeding wound in her shoulder.

Shauna freezes, eyes still wide open, gaze darting between the scout and her injured shoulder before suddenly noticing the crimson droplets of blood pooling under her jaw.

No, no, no, no, no. She didn't. There is no way that she almost took a chunk out of her soulmate's shoulder.

_"We can see the hunter becoming the prey and the prey becoming the pet until it turns into a ravenous beast and devours its master."_

Oh silver it is already happening.

"Shauna?"

She is so lost in her thoughts, her mind is in such a complete and utter disarray that she doesn't even notice the absence of the pain she usually experiences when she harms her soulmate and mistress or the calming gestures of the scout for that matter. Blood, there is fresh blood inside her mouth, it is so warm, so sweet, it doesn't hurt her or sups away her strength and Quinn is bleeding. **Delicious!** The blood inside her mouth is not her own, it is…

"Shauna?"

Quinn's. Quinn is bleeding, she is bleeding because she hurt her, she bit her shoulder and made her bleed rivers of warm crimson nectar.

**Tasty**

"It's ok, Shauna. It was just an accident."

Blood, Quinn is losing so much blood, Vayne can clearly see the red droplets slipping between the younger woman's fingers. Quinn is dying because of her and yet Vayne can't help but think that the scene in front of her is beautiful. **A meal and a lover, two in one, she just has to reach out and grab her, pin her down under her weight and…**

Sick, she is sick, demented and she almost throws up when the voice of the specter suddenly return cold and uncaring, like… like herself.

_"We can see the hunter becoming the prey and the prey becoming the pet until it turns into a ravenous beast and devours its master."_

_"The start of a war…"_

Shauna starts trembling, brown eyes filled with terror staring aimlessly towards the injured woman, a long broken howl escaping her throat like the lament of the wolf that has lost its cubs.

"It's alright, Shauna, it is just a scratch, see?"

_"The end of a country…"_

_"Countless souls embracing the afterlife…"_

_"Sent to hell by your own two bloodstained hands wrapped around their throats…"_

The guards were right, the prince was right, she is nothing but a beast barring its fangs at innocents. **And what a feast is that she has in front of her, her mouth is already watering**. She is sick.

"Shauna, can you even hear me?"

_"You are truly a monster among us ghosts and walking nightmares."_

Her fangs, her fangs are coated in blood, Quinn's blood because she bit her like a rabid animal. She has to get rid of them. She has to get rid of the fangs that hurt Quinn, even if the shock kills her. Or… or else Quinn is doomed. **She smells so good like trapped prey under the moonlight, the scent of blood makes her dizzy with desire, her fangs are aching.**

_"You are…"_

"Shauna? Did you hurt yourself when you fell down? Do you need help climbing back on the bed?"

Her hand reaches towards her mouth, scarred pale fingers brushing against bloody lips, fingernails plunging into soft unprotected flesh as she tries to get a hold of the offending canines, the ones meant to sustain her life, eyes still wide open, her face frozen in fear.

**Pain**

_"Truly a monster among us ghosts…"_

It takes Vayne a few tries but she finally manages to get a hold of her fang and she is about to pull it out when Quinn suddenly slaps her hand away and pulls her into a tight embrace.

**Warmth **

Her life-tooth is evil, so why? Why is this woman stopping her? Why is her not-mate protecting it? Removing it is going to hurt a lot but Vayne is almost sure that she is going to survie the shock of its removal. Well, probably...

**Fear**

No, oh silver no, she can feel the beast inside her roaring, escaping from the shattered cage of her psyche, slowly clawing its way to the surface and Quinn... Quinn is baring the mark of its mate.

**Mate**

_"Among us ghosts and walking nightmares…"_

_"The start of a war…"_

_"Sent to hell by your own two bloodstained hands…"_

"No, its ok. You don't have to hurt yourself anymore in order to protect me. See? I am fine. I am safe because you sacrificed yourself and saved me, so it's ok if you would like to have a little snack or in your case a bit of blood as compensation. It is the least I can do for my brave savior."

**Food? Prey? Brave? Savior? The beast is confused, is this woman offering herself in order to appease its hunger?  
**

Quinn is even smiling.

_"Until it turns into a ravenous beast and…"_

_" ...devours its master."_

She is trembling, she is probably having a heart attack and Quinn is still hugging her tightly, whispering to her softly. Why is the damn woman still here, why isn't Quinn just laughing at her or hitting her now that she is more vulnerable than a newborn kitten. Why is the stupid scout still stroking her back as the beast is about to take over her body? Can't she see the madness in her eyes? The state of her shattered soul crying out in despair or even recognize the danger she poses for her life and everyone around her? Has Quinn not realized that her fangs have actually recovered enough for her to feast on the unfortunate woman?

**Confusion, she is prey and yet she is not, she is mate and yet she is untouched. Her heart loves her, her body desires her and yet the human-soul wants to flee the room and suffer without a mate. This whole situation is confusing.  
**

No, she probably knows and that's the scary part, because Quinn is still kneeling on the floor hugging her, staying by her side even when every other sane person would have already fled in terror and Shauna… Shauna can't stop herself from returning the embrace even though she should be jumping out of the window or putting some distance between herself and the damn ranger. The beast is breaking every obstacle and barrier thrown in its way, it is going to be here soon, her vision is fading.

**Light, Warmth, Freedom**

"It's ok, everything is going to be alright."

Quinn's voice finally manages to reach her ears and Vayne suddenly feels like slapping her. The bird-brained idiot is still trying to comfort her for almost taking a chunk out of her shoulder. Vayne really prays that the scout survives the encounter with her other half. She is going to rip her own heart out of her ribcage otherwise

**FREEDOM!**

"I love you."

And then the scout kisses her and the beast finally reaches the surface breaking the last mental barrier with a roar and…

**…**

Nothing, nothing terrible or violent or cruel actually really happens and Vayne just presses her lips against her lover's all the while smiling softly, because it might have taken her years to realize it but she finally understands. The beast, the vampire, the monster, the demon, even the twisted dark persona taking over her during the nights of the full moon, all of those grim hateful entities that anger and scare and terrify her are just different parts of herself, normally suppressed under the veil of reasoning and her own pitiful efforts, soul fragments hidden in plain sight. And like Shauna Vayne and the Night Hunter and the little girl that died in the _red manor_ so many years ago, they all love her mate. They love her to death and they are never going to let anything bad happen to her, so Vayne just sits back and lets the beast purr softly and the little girl give the scout a hug and even Hope is here thanking the woman that healed her daughter's heart and the murderer cries in remorse, hanging her head in shame even as Quinn gently wipes away the tears from the mourning Night Hunter's cheeks and leads Vayne back towards the mattress.

And when Quinn whispers that she loves her and the scout starts removing the vampire's hospital clothing the beast can only croak a three word reply, slowly repeating the other woman's sentence and that's all Vayne really manages to whisper before the scout starts kissing her and with every trembling kiss a scar from the vampire's soul disappears. And as if from some distant faraway place hidden in secret realms untainted by the influence of man Shauna can almost hear the words of the spectral spear wielder but this time the words are filling the blood-demon's heart with hope.

_"We see the end of the beast that loved the lamb and the lamb that protected its kin-killer."_

And somehow that's enough for Vayne and the vampire smirks in amusement when Quinn suddenly grabs her wrists and pins them over her head before sinking her teeth into the vulnerable fresh of her throat, probably trying to give the stronger woman a taste of her own medicine.

Vayne lets her lover have her way for just a few more seconds before the situation is abruptly reversed and Quinn suddenly finds herself buried under the weight of the Night Hunter and the ranger can only whimper when vibrant crimson eyes finally meet mischievous amber ones.

"C-could we please keep the biting to a minimum? Just for today, please?"

Vayne's eyes soften and the beast retreats back in its cage as soft ruby lips brush against the scout's flaring red ear.

"For you, anything."

_"We see the end of the beast that loved the lamb and the lamb that protected its kin-killer."_

And Vayne can only smile in return because if a predator can fall in love with its prey and a woman can forgive the killer of her sibling then maybe, just maybe there is still a place in this world for a sinister rabid beast and the kind little sparrow that managed to tame it.

The End

* * *

**Writer's Note: So yeah, I am not really good at ending a story and I tried a couple of things and thought of even more possibilities during this chapter before I finally managed to scrap what I could to the best of my abilities and the result is the chapter you just read. This is a really old story after all and the ideas behind it have actually mutated before recognition. **

**I could have played a bit more with the perspectives and did a little more foreshadowing, maybe showing Vayne conversing with her inner demons after her adventure with Nocturne and even seeing the shades or maybe having her converse with the persona of Beast and share his thoughts at times, but I think that the story was already long enough and bore the reader to death so I didn't want to keep prolonging it indefinitely.**

** I also really wanted to insert a love rival, maybe someone that took a liking to Quinn or learned about Vayne's future and wanted to seduce her in order to use her later on. A dark predator like Evelynn could probably see Vayne as a compatible partner or maybe I could turn Riven into a werewolf and let them form a love triangle, competing for Quinn's attention ( I really like that ot3 ) but yeah, too many chapters on an already dead story. Anyway a bad story is better than an incomplete one in my opinion and some people seemed to enjoyed it, even if only certain chapters, so I would like to hear your opinions about it. Was it terrible, did you expect something else, is the ending that bad, what is my most common typo or grammatical mistake? Things like that. Anyway have a nice day.**


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